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Nanoparticles play a vital role in the modern world, not only because of their reduced dimensions resulting in specific properties but also because they are promising building blocks for many complex nanostructures. Cerium oxide (CO) is a valuable material due to its unique properties resulting from its regenerative oxidation states. As it can exist in both the trivalent and tetravalent state, CO can act as a promising antioxidant, thereby absorbing harmful reactive oxygen species. In the present study, human lung epithelial (Beas-2B) cells were used to assess the toxicity, biocompatibility and anti-oxidant activity of CO nanoparticles. 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-Diphenyltetrazolium Bromide (MTT) and Live/Dead assays were performed to determine the cytotoxicity and biocompatibility of CO nanoparticles. Antioxidant property of CO nanoparticles was assessed by Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) assay. MTT assay and Live/Dead assays showed no significant induction of cell death even at higher concentrations (100 μg/mL) upon exposure to Beas-2B cells. ROS assay revealed that CO nanoparticles significantly reduced the reactive oxygen species that contribute to the oxidative stress and inflammation leading to various disease conditions. Thus, CO nanoparticles have various biomedical applications including biosensors and cancer therapy. CO can be used in filters and ultra-violet absorbers in order to produce products such as catalytic converters and sunscreen. Furthermore, as CO nanoparticles have the ability to cross cell membranes due to their small size, they are effective for drug delivery.
Authors: Prathima Prabhu Tumkur, Babu R. Lamani, Krishnan Prabhakaran, Joseph C. Hall and Govindarajan T. Ramesh.
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