Cell stress response to two different types of polymer coated cobalt ferrite nanoparticles

Potential nanoparticle (NP) toxicity is one of crucial problems that limit the applicability of NPs. When designing NPs for biomedical and biotechnological applications it is thus important to understand the mechanisms of their toxicity. In this study, we analysed the stress responses of previously designed polyacrylic acid (PAA) and polyethylenimine (PEI) coated NPs on primary human myoblasts (MYO) and B16 mouse melanoma cell line. Negatively charged PAA did not induce cell toxicity, reactive oxygen species (ROS) or activate the transcription factor NF-κB in either cell line even at high concentrations (100 μg/ml). On the other hand, positively charged PEI NPs induced a concentration dependent necrotic cell death and an increase in ROS following 24 h incubation already at low concentrations (>4 μg/ml). Moreover, PEI NPs induced NF-κB activation 15-30 min after incubation in MYO cells, most probably through activation of TLR4 receptor. Interestingly, there was no NF-κB response to PEI NPs in B16 cells.