A multiparametric and orthogonal approach indicates low toxicity for zein nanoparticles in a repellent formulation

This study evaluates the cytotoxicity of a repellent formulation containing zein nanoparticles (NP) loading geraniol (Ger) and icaridin (Ica) in three cell lines: NIH/3 T3, HaCaT, and SIRC. To address formulation hazards, IC50 values were determined by MTT and Calcein-AM assays. In both NIH/3 T3 and HaCaT, the IC50 values for NP + Ger + Ica formulation were around 0.2%. For risk assessment, cell viability was also determined after a single exposure and repeated exposure to the formulation. No evidence of cytotoxicity was observed for NP + Ger + Ica formulation-treated cells. The risk assessment for eye damage revealed cytotoxicity in SIRC cells when exposed to a 5% concentration, which may be attributed to ocular geraniol toxicity, because zein nanoparticles alone did not exhibit any signs of toxicity. Cell internalization indicated low uptake in NIH/3 T3 and HaCaT cells. Phenotypic profiling resulted in similar phenotypes for untreated cells and cells exposed to NP + Ger + Ica formulation. The toxicological profile outlined by the multiparametric and orthogonal approach suggests that the NP + Ger + Ica formulation poses no significant risk to the topical application under the tested conditions. Adopting an orthogonal approach brings robustness to our findings.PMID:38043627 | DOI:10.1016/j.tiv.2023.105747
Source: Toxicology in Vitro - Category: Toxicology Authors: Source Type: research