Do polymer-coated nanoparticles impair mitochondrial function of brain endothelial cells?

Abstract

A promising novel treatment method for cerebrovascular aneurysms and injuries of other hollow organs is laser tissue soldering. The solder contains nanomaterials that are foreign to the body, making careful examination of possible adverse effects prior to introducing this technique essential. This study aimed at analyzing the effects of different concentrations of polymer-coated silica nanoparticles (NPs) on mitochondrial function and integrity of brain endothelial cells using the rat brain capillary endothelial cell line rBCEC4. NP exposure led to a decrease in the oxygen consumption rate at maximal capacity whereas glycolysis was not affected. In combination with glucose deprivation, NPs primarily hindered glycolytic ATP generation rather than oxidative phosphorylation and caused a metabolic shift towards a stressed phenotype indicated by increased oxygen consumption rates and extracellular acidification rates compared to untreated controls. Mitochondrial mass, distribution and morphology as well as intracellular ATP content were not altered by NPs and mitochondrial membrane potential was increased after exposure to the highest NP concentration only. Merely slight changes were seen in the expression levels of proteins involved in mitochondrial dynamics. In conclusion, polymer-coated NPs did not seem to impair mitochondrial function vitally in rBCEC4 cells at steady state