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Abstract
Background
The biocompatibility of two forms of calcined mesoporous silica particles, labeled as MCM41-cal and SBA15-cal, with fetal blood mononuclear cells was assessed in vitro.
Methods and results
Fetal mononuclear cells were isolated from umbilical cord blood and exposed to 0.5 mg/mL of MCM41-cal or SBA15-cal for several hours. Transmission electron micrographs confirmed the presence of particles in the cytosol of macrophages, neutrophils, and lymphocytes without noticeable damage to the cellular organelles. The particles (especially MCM41-cal) were in close proximity to plasma, and nuclear and mitochondrial membranes. Biocompatibility was assessed by a functional assay that measured cellular respiration, ie, mitochondrial O2 consumption. The rate of respiration (kc, in μM O2 per minute per 107 cells) for untreated cells was 0.42 ± 0.16 (n = 10), for cells treated with MCM41-cal was 0.39 ± 0.22 (n = 5, P > 0.966) and for cells treated with SBA15-cal was 0.44 ± 0.13 (n = 5, P > 0.981).
Conclusion
The results show reasonable biocompatibility of MCM41-cal and SBA15-cal in fetal blood mononuclear cells. Future studies are needed to determine the potential of collecting fetal cells from a fetus or neonate, loading the cells in vitro with therapeutic MCM41-cal or SBA15-cal, and reinfusing them into the fetus or neonate.
Acknowledgements
We thank the labor and delivery staff at Tawam Hospital for supporting this project. This research is supported by a grant from the United Arab Emirates University.
Disclosure
The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.
Supplementary figures
Figure S1 Transmission electron microscopic images of fetal blood mononuclear cells incubated with 500 μg/mL MCM41-cal for 2 hours. (A) MCM41-cal particles were seen within vacuoles (thick arrows), in the cytosol of a macrophage, not obviously attached to any organelle. (B) MCM41-cal was seen within a vacuole (thin arrow) and strictly attached to the nuclear membrane of a macrophage with clear invagination of the nuclear membrane in the area of adherence without obvious damage (thick arrow), another MCM41-cal was seen adherent to a mitochondrion without any obvious damage (thin arrow). (C) MCM41-cal was in a neutrophil polymorph, within a vacuole (thick arrow), adhering to the nucleus and mitochondria (thin arrow) without causing any obvious damage. (D) MCM41-cal particles were in the cytosol of a neutrophil polymorph, within vacuoles and close to mitochondria (thick arrow). (E) MCM41-cal was seen in the cytosol of a neutrophil polymorph closely adhering to the nucleus (thick arrow) and another particle was seen passing the cell membrane without any obvious damage (thick arrow). (F) Two MCM41-cal particles were seen in the cytosol of a lymphocyte after crossing the cell membrane without any obvious damage (thick arrow).
Figure S2 Transmission electron microscopic images of fetal blood mononuclear cells incubated with 500 μg/mL SBA15-cal for 2 hours. (A) Many SBA15-cal were seen within a vacuole in the cytosol of a macrophage without any obvious damage to any organelle (thick arrows). (B) Many SBA15-cal particles were seen within the cytosol of a macrophage and some of them were seen adherent to mitochondria without any obvious damage (thick arrow). (C) Many SBA15-cal were in the cytosol of a macrophage (thick arrow), in contact with a lysosome (thin arrow) without any evidence of phagosome-lysosome fusion. (D) Many SBA15-cal particles were within a vacuole in the cytosol of a neutrophil polymorph without any obvious damage to the organelles (thick arrows).
