Surface carboxylation or PEGylation decreases CuO nanoparticles' cytotoxicity to human cells in vitro without compromising their antibacterial properties.

ABSTRACT: Clinical use of CuO nanoparticles (NPs) as antibacterials can be hampered by their toxicity to human cells. We hypothesized that certain surface functionalizations of CuO NPs may render NPs toxic to bacteria, but still be relatively harmless to human cells. To control this hypothesis, the toxicity of differently functionalized CuO NPs to bacteria Escherichia coli vs human cells (THP-1 macrophages and HACAT keratinocytes) was compared using similar conditions and end points. CuO NPs functionalized with polyethylene glycol (CuO-PEG), carboxyl (CuO-COOH, anionic), ammonium (CuO-NH₄⁺, cationic) and unfunctionalized CuO NPs and CuSO₄ (controls) were tested. In general, the toxicity of Cu compounds decreased in the following order: CuO-NH₄⁺ 

SUBMITTER: Kubo AL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7261733 | biostudies-literature | 2020 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature