Evaluation on Cytotoxicity and Genotoxicity of the L-Glutamic Acid Coated Iron Oxide Nanoparticles

To evaluate the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of L-glutamic acid (Glu) coated Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles (hereafter refer as Glu@MNPs) on Chinese Hamster Lung (CHL) cells using Trypan blue dye exclusion assay, Oxidative stress markers, Comet assay and micronucleus (MN) assay. Results showed a low cytotoxicity with an IC₅₀ was 254.739 μg/ml 36 h post incubation period in CHL cells. Furthermore, Cell redox status is slightly disturbed: Glu@MNPs exposure cause reactive oxygen species production, glutathione depletion and inactivation of some antioxidant enzymes: glutathione reduc-tase, superoxide dismutase, but not catalase. Moreover, no significant genotoxic response was observed in CHL cells over concentration ranges from 8 to 128 μg/mL for all exposure time periods. The results suggest that the Glu@MNPs show biocompatibility In Vitro.