ROS-mediated heme degradation and cytotoxicity induced by iron nanoparticles: hemoglobin and lymphocyte cells as targets

Nanoparticles (NPs) due to their small size and high surface area induce remarkable adverse effects on the biological systems. However, the exact mechanism by which NPs interacted with biological system and induce their adverse effects is still an enigma. Herein, the interaction of zero valent iron NPs (ZVFe NPs) with human hemoglobin (Hb) was evaluated using a variety of techniques including circular dichroism, fluorescence, and UV-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy methods. Also, the cytotoxicity of ZVFe NPs on the human lymphocyte cell line as a model of blood system cell line was investigated by reactive oxygen species (ROS), caspase-9, and caspase-3 activities assays. It was revealed that ZVFe NP interaction resulted in heme displacement and degradation and induction of protein cabonylation. It was also shown that ZVFe NPs impaired the complexity of lymphocyte cells through ROS generation and apoptotic pathway. Together, these data suggest that NPs influence the biological system and induce adverse effects through ROS generation.