With the rapid development of nanotechnology and increasingly broad bio-application of engineered nanomaterials, their bio- hazards have become a serious public concern. It is believed that the chemical nature, particle size, morphology, and surface chemistry of nanomaterials are key parameters that influence their toxicity. Although cultured ceils have been widely used to evaluate nanomaterial toxicity, it remains unclear whether the passage of these cells affects the evaluation results. In the pre- sent study, Ba/F3 cells transfected with the BCR-ABL gene were subcultured to study the effect of passage number on cell sta- bility and their cellular responses upon exposure to nanomaterials. The results demonstrated that proliferation, cellular senes- cence, BCR-ABL gene expression, cell cycle and apoptosis were stable across multiple passages. Senescence and BCR-ABL gene expression of cells from different passage cells were unchanged when treated with silver nanoparticles （AgNPs）. In addi- tion, the cells at multiple passage numbers were all arrested in the G2/M phase and apoptosis was induced by the AgNPs. These nanoparticles could enter cells via endocytosis and localize in the cndosomes, which were also not influenced by passage number. These data suggest that short-term passage would not affect cultured cell stability and toxicity assessment using these cells would be consistent when maintained appropriately.
GUO DaWeiZHANG XiuYanHUANG ZhiHaiZHOU XueFengZHU LingYingZHAO YunGU Ning
