Doxorubicin Incorporation into Gold Nanoparticles: An In Vivo Study of Its Effects on Cardiac Tissue in Rats

Figures

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  Figure 1. Study workflow: Rats were divided into the following four groups: control, DOX, citrate Au-NP, and DOX Au-NP. After a period of 21 days of treatment, cardiac ultrasound was performed, and the animals were euthanized with the harvesting of samples and organs for subsequent analyses.

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  Figure 2. (A) UV-Vis spectra of citrate Au-NPs, DOX, citrate Au-NPs mixed with DOX at T0, and DOX Au-NPs after 24 h; (B) XRD spectrum of DOX Au-NPs; (C) TEM image of DOX Au-NPs.

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  Figure 3. (A) FTIR spectra of DOX; (B) FTIR spectra of DOX Au-NPs.

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  Figure 4. (A) Hydrodynamic diameter; (B) zeta potential. Blue, red and green lines represent three different replicates.

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  Figure 5. Cardiac ultrasound parameters in the four treatment groups. N = 5 samples analyzed for each group. C: control; DOX: doxorubicin; citrate Au-NP: citrate gold nanoparticle; Au-NP: gold nanoparticle; LVEDD: left ventricular end-diastolic diameter; LVESD: left ventricular end-systolic dimension; FS: fractional shortening; LVEF: left ventricular ejection fraction.

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  Figure 6. Oxidative stress and antioxidant defense system levels in cardiac tissue homogenates in the four study groups. N = 3 samples analyzed for each group for pNFkB and Nrf2; N = 4 samples analyzed for MDA, SOD, GSH, and GSSG. MDA, GSH, and GSSG were determined from serum samples, while SOD was determined from lysed erythrocytes. C: control; DOX: doxorubicin; citrate Au-NP: citrate gold nanoparticle; Au-NP: gold nanoparticle; MDA: malondialdehyde; GSH: glutathione; GSSG: glutathione disulfide.

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  Figure 7. Representative TEM images of cardiac tissues from the four study groups. (A–D) Control: normal ultrastructural aspect of the myocardium samples from the control group. (E–J) DOX: extensive ultrastructural alterations of mitochondria and sarcoplasmic reticulum in the myocardium samples from the DOX group; asterisk: mitochondrial whorls of membranes. (K–P) Citrate Au-NP: diverse ultrastructural alterations in the myocardium samples from the citrate Au-NP group. arrow: disrupted plasma membrane; arrowhead: abnormal mitochondrial cristae with multiple membranes; asterisk: mitochondrial whorls of membranes; (Q–V) DOX Au-NP: limited ultrastructural alterations of mitochondria and sarcoplasmic reticulum in the myocardium samples from the DOX Au-NP group. ec: endothelial cell; g: glycogen; ly2: secondary lysosome; m: mitochondria; mf: myofibrils; n: nucleus; pm: plasma membrane; rbc: red blood cell; sr: sarcoplasmic reticulum; ap: autophagosome; arrowhead: abnormal mitochondrial cristae with multiple membranes; elm: electron lucent mitochondrion; ly2: secondary lysosome; l: lipid droplet.