In vitro cytotoxicity of gold nanorods in A549 cells

•The interaction between gold nanorods and A549 cells was investigated.•Gold nanorods had toxicity on A549 cells in a dose-dependent manner.•Gold nanorods damaged cell membrane integrity of A549 cells.•The reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in A549 cells was induced by gold nanorods.

Gold nanoparticles, which have unique physicochemical characteristics, are being used for an increasingly wide range of applications in biomedical research. In this study, gold nanorods (width of 25 nm, length of 52 nm) were found to be internalized by A549 cells and were primarily localized in the lysosomes and membranous vesicles. The integrity of the membranes of A549 cells exposed to gold nanorods for 4 h was damaged, as indicated by laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM). Increased lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) leakage and decreased cell viability further indicated the concentration-dependent cytotoxicity of the gold nanorods to the A549 cells. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production was induced in the A549 cells by the gold nanorods, and this effect was positively correlated with the concentration of the gold nanorods. The results of this study indicated that exposure to gold nanorods caused dose-dependent cytotoxicity in A549 cells and that oxidative stress may be the main factor causing cytotoxicity.