Cytotoxicity, uptake behaviors, and oral absorption of food grade calcium carbonate nanomaterials

Mi Kyung Kim, Jeong A. Lee, Mi Rae Jo, Min Kyu Kim, Hyoung Mi Kim, Jae Min Oh, Nam Woong Song, Soo Jin Choi

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

45 Scopus citations

Abstract

Calcium is the most abundant mineral in human body and essential for the formation and maintenance of bones and teeth as well as diverse cellular functions. Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) is widely used as a dietary supplement; however, oral absorption efficiency of CaCO3 is extremely low, which may be overcome by applying nano-sized materials. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of food grade nano CaCO3 in comparison with that of bulk- or reagent grade nano CaCO3 in terms of cytotoxicity, cellular uptake, intestinal transport, and oral absorption. Cytotoxicity results demonstrated that nano-sized CaCO3 particles were slightly more toxic than bulk materials in terms of oxidative stress and membrane damage. Cellular uptake behaviors of CaCO3 nanoparticles were different from bulk CaCO3 or Ca2+ions in human intestinal epithelial cells, showing efficient cellular internalization and elevated intracellular Ca2+ levels. Meanwhile, CaCO3 nanoparticles were efficiently transported by microfold (M) cells in vitro model of human intestinal follicle-associated epithelium, in a similar manner as Ca2+ ions did. Biokinetic study revealed that the biological fate of CaCO3 particles was different from Ca2+ ions; however, in vivo, its oral absorption was not significantly affected by particle size. These findings provide crucial information to understand and predict potential toxicity and oral absorption efficiency of food grade nanoparticles.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1938-1954
Number of pages17
JournalNanomaterials
Volume5
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - 10 Nov 2015

Keywords

  • Calcium carbonate
  • Cellular uptake
  • Cytotoxicity
  • Intestinal transport
  • Oral absorption

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Cytotoxicity, uptake behaviors, and oral absorption of food grade calcium carbonate nanomaterials'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this