ArticleMolecular medicine (Cambridge, Mass.)2018
Murine exposure to gold nanoparticles during early pregnancy promotes abortion by inhibiting ectodermal differentiation.
Article in Molecular medicine (Cambridge, Mass.), 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 32 citations in OpenAlex.
- Translocation of (ultra)fine particles and nanoparticles across the placenta; a systematic review on the evidence of in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo studies.Particle and fibre toxicology · 2020Pooled it
- Therapeutic nanoparticle safety in pregnancy: Bridging knowledge gaps with environmental insights and a translational roadmap.Journal of controlled release : official journal of the Controlled Release Society · 2025Review
- Structural and Functional Differences in Preterm Tracheal Epithelium Based on Mouse Airway Organoid Models.Stem cell reviews and reports · 2025Article
- Effect of Nanoalumina on Sex Hormones and Fetuses in Pregnant Rats.JBRA assisted reproduction · 2022Article
- An On-Demand Drug Delivery System for Control of Epileptiform Seizures.Pharmaceutics · 2022Article
- Safety and Toxicity Implications of Multifunctional Drug Delivery Nanocarriers on Reproductive SystemsFrontiers in toxicology · 2022Review
- Design of nanomaterials for applications in maternal/fetal medicine.Journal of materials chemistry. B · 2020Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundGold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been widely studied for biomedical applications, although their safety and potential toxicity in pregnancy remains unknown. The aim of this study is to explore the effect of AuNPs maternal exposure at different gestational ages on fetal survival and development, as well as the potential mechanism of AuNPs affecting embryos and fetuses.
methodsThirty nm polyethylene glycol (PEG)-coated AuNPs (A30) were administered to pregnant mice via intravenous injection (5 μg Au/g body weight) over three days at either early or late pregnancy. Fetal abortion rate and morphological development in E16.5 were then detected in detail. The pregnant mice physiological states with A30 exposure were examined by biochemical, histological or imaging methods; and materno-fetal distribution of gold elements was assayed by electron microscopy and mass spectrometry. Murine embryonic stem cells derived embryoid-bodies or neuroectodermal cells were treated with A30 (0.0025 to 0.25 μg Au/mL) to examine A30 effects on expression levels of the germ differentiation marker genes. Tukey's method was used for statistical analysis.
resultsExposure to A30 during early (A30E) but not late (A30L) pregnancy caused a high abortion rate (53.5%), lower fetal survival rate and abnormal decidualization compared with non-exposed counterparts. The developmental damage caused by A30 followed an "all-or-nothing" pattern, as the non-aborted fetuses developed normally and pregnancies maintained normal endocrine values. A30 caused minor impairment of liver and kidney function of A30E but not A30L mice. TEM imaging of fetal tissue sections confirmed the transfer of A30 into fetal brain and live as aggregates. qPCR assays showed A30 suppressed the expression of ectodermal, but not mesodermal and endodermal differentiation markers.
conclusionsThese results illustrate that maternal A30 exposure in early pregnant results in A30 transfer into embryonic tissues, inhibiting ectodermal differentiation of embryonic stem cells, leading to abnormal embryonic development and abortion. While exposure to A30 during late pregnancy had little or no impact on dams and fetuses. These findings suggest the safety of biomedical applications employing AuNPs during pregnancy is strongly influenced by fetal maturity and gestational age at exposure and provide the clues for AuNPs safe application period in pregnancy.
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