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Nano-materials are receiving increasing attention for their promise as engineering and biomedical miracles. The use of particle reduction in size from micro to nanoscale not only provides benefits to diverse scientific fields but also poses potential risks to humans and the environment. For the successful application of nano-materials in bioscience, it is essential to understand the biological fate and potential toxicity of nano- materials.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the tissue distribution and excretion of nanoparticles. We synthesized biocompatible rhodamine B isothiocyanate (RITC) incorporated silica with 50, 100 and 200 nm thickness(silica@RITC).
After single intravenous injection into mice, the tissue distribution and excretion were checked on 0, 12, 24, 48, 72 hrs, 1 week, 3 weeks and 4 weeks. After 12 hrs all size particles were mainly present in liver and spleen, and gradually eliminated from the tissues. 200 nm particles were detected more intensively in the phagocytic cell of these organs and remained more than 50 nm particles. After 1 week, silca@RITC particles were not detected in blood but in urine and feces were still detected. There is no significant histopathological changes in all groups but kidney's weights increased significantly. Therefore, 50 and 200 nm silica@RITC particles were distributed mainly in the spleen and liver, and eliminated from blood until 1 week and excreted via urine and feces.
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