Surface chemistry governs the sub-organ transfer, clearance and toxicity of functional gold nanoparticles in the liver and kidney

Background To effectively applied nanomaterials (NMs) in medicine, one of the top priorities is to address a better understanding of the possible sub-organ transfer, clearance routes, and potential toxicity of the NMs in the liver and kidney. Results Here we explored how the surface chemistry of polyethylene glycol (PEG), chitosan (CS), and polyethylenimine (PEI) capped gold nanoparticles (GNPs) governs their sub-organ biodistribution, transfer, and clearance profiles in the liver and kidney after intravenous injection in mice. The PEG-GNPs maintained dispersion properties in vivo, facilitating passage through the liver sinusoidal endothelium and Disse space, and were captured by hepatocytes and eliminated via the hepatobiliary route. While, the agglomeration/aggregation of CS-GNPs and PEI-GNPs in hepatic Kupffer and endothelial cells led to their long-term accumulation, impeding their elimination. The gene microarray analysis shows that the accumulation of CS-GNPs and PEI-GNPs in the liver induced obvious down-regulation of Cyp4a or Cyp2b related genes, suggesting CS-GNP and PEI-GNP treatment impacted metabolic processes, while the PEI-GNP treatment is related with immune responses. Conclusions This study demonstrates that manipulation of nanoparticle surface chemistry can help NPs selectively access distinct cell types and elimination pathways, which help to clinical potential of non-biodegradable NPs.