RESUMO
This study aimed to evaluate whether aluminum chloride (AlCl3) causes hematological changes in the peripheral blood of Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Five groups of female SD rats were intragastrically administered with 4 different concentrations of AlCl3 for 5 days a week for a total of 90 days. The aluminum concentration was determined via graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy. Analysis of serum iron-kinetic profiles, blood cytometry outcomes, and blood smears of the blood samples. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Raman spectroscopy were used to search for structural and ultrastructural changes, respectively. Blood aluminum concentration ranged 12.38-16.24 µg/L with no significant difference between experimental treatments. At the AlCl3 concentration of 40 mg Al/kg bw of rats/day, the mean ferritin value in the serum iron kinetic profile was 29.81±6.1 ng/mL, and this value showed a significant difference between experimental treatments. Blood cytometry revealed that there were 6.45-7.11×106 cells/µL erythrocytes, 8.91-9.32×103 cells/µL leukocytes, and 477.2-736.3×103 cells/µL platelets along with a hemoglobin of 37.38-41.93 g/dL and hematocrit level of 37.38-41.93%; the experimental treatments showed no significant differences. Erythrocyte structural analysis using SEM showed no differences between experimental treatments, whereas ultrastructural evaluation using Raman spectroscopy made it possible to identify the following bands: 741, 1123, 1350, 1578, and 1618 cm-1, which were respectively associated with the following vibrational modes and compounds: vibration of the tryptophan ring, asymmetric C-O-C stretching of glucose, C-H curve of tryptophan, C=C stretching of the heme group, and C-N stretching of the heme group, with no significant differences between experimental treatments. Therefore, AlCl3 administration does not induce ultrastructural changes in the erythrocyte membrane. This study revealed that serum ferritin concentration was the only parameter affected by AlCl3 exposure at 40 mg of Al/kg bw of rats/day.
RESUMO
In this study, we performed a systematic evaluation of the synthesis parameters of a multiresponsive core-shell nanoplatform (Fe3O4 nanoparticles coated by poly(N-isopropylacrylamide). These nanocomposites allow the possibility of controlling specific properties, such as particle size and morphology. The polymer coating was performed by in-situ free-radical polymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide on Fe3O4 nanoparticles to obtain a nanocomposite with a core-shell structure. We monitored the size and morphology of the nanocomposite by scanning transmission electron microscopy. Electrophoretic mobility determined the evolution of ζ-potentials during coating. We assessed the functionalization of the Fe3O4 nanoparticles by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. The core-shell systems exhibited a collapsed structure when heated above the lower critical solution temperature, which was determined by dynamic light scattering. Squid based vibrating sample magnetometer tests were performed to verify superparamagnetic behavior at room temperature. The platform was approved as biocompatible for the HeLa and MDA-MB-231 cell lines by MTT assays, and it shows the desired properties for potential use in localized and controlled drug delivery.
