Cytotoxicity and oxidative stress responses of silica-coated iron oxide nanoparticles in CHSE-214 cells

The present study aimed at investigating cytotoxicity and oxidative stress induced by silica-coated iron oxide nanoparticles functionalized with dithiocarbamate (Fe3O4 NPs) in Chinook salmon cells (CHSE-214) derived from Oncorhynchus tshawytscha embryos. A significant reduction in cell viability was evident in response to Fe3O4 NPs as revealed by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay after 24 h of exposure. Out of the tested concentrations (10, 20, and 30 μg/ml), the highest concentration has shown significant decrease in the viability of cells after 24 h of exposure. Alterations in the morphology of CHSE-214 cells was also evident at 10 μg/ml concentration of Fe3O4 NPs after 24 h. Fe3O4 NPs elicited a significant dose-dependent reduction in total glutathione content (TGSH), catalase (CAT), glutathione reductase (GR) with a concomitant increase in lipid peroxidation (LPO), and protein carbonyl (PC) at highest concentration (30 μg/ml) after 24 h of exposure. In conclusion, our data demonstrated that Fe3O4 NPs have potential to induce cytotoxicity in CHSE-214 cells, which is likely to be mediated through reactive oxygen species generation and oxidative stress.