Bio-functionalized gold nanoparticles: Benign effect in Sprague-Dawley rats by intravenous administration

Gold nanoparticles offer a great promise in clinical research. Despite various applications of the metal nanoparticles it is challenging to implement <i>in vivo</i> in clinical applications<i>.</i> This aspect is deprived of understanding the biological mechanisms that occurs in the cells. In this report we have evaluated application of AuNP on the safety profile at different doses (100, 200, and 500 μg/kg Bwt/day) on intravenous administration in rats regularly for 28 days. The study was performed based on the OECD test guideline 407. No clinical signs and mortalities were observed in any groups of rat treated with AuNP. No evidence of toxicity was observed in any of the diverse studies performed which is noteworthy. The study includes survival, behavior, animal weight, organ morphology, blood biochemistry and tissue histology. The results indicate that tissue accumulation pattern of gold nanoparticles depends on the surface, size and doses of the nanoparticle. The accumulation of the particles does not produce subacute physiological damage.