Effect of cellular uptake of gelatin nanoparticles on adhesion, morphology and cytoskeleton organisation of human fibroblasts

The aim of present study was to prepare nanometer sized particles of gelatin via water-in-oil microemulsion system for drug and gene delivery applications. In this study, cross-linked gelatin nanoparticles encapsulating a fluorescent marker molecule fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran (FITC-Dex, Mol. Wt. 19.3kDa) have been prepared, characterized and their influence on human fibroblasts has been assessed in terms of cell adhesion, cytotoxicity, light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and observation of cytoskeleton organisation. Gelatin nanoparticles were prepared inside the aqueous cores of sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT)/ n-hexane reverse micelles. Transmission electron microscopy image showed that the particles are spherical in shape with size of 37±0.84 nm diameter. The release of FITC-Dex from the nanoparticles in phosphate buffer saline (pH 7.4) is found to increase with time and about 80% of the encapsulated dye is released in 6 h. Cell adhesion studies with human fibroblasts have shown that gelatin nanoparticles do not affect the number of cells adhered to glass as compared to control cells with no particles. Standard cell viability assay demonstrated that cells incubated with gelatin nanoparticles remained more than 100% viable at concentration as high as 500 μg/ml. From SEM image, it was observed that the nanoparticles were internalised and the fibroblasts exhibited vacuoles in the cell body with cell membrane abnormalities. Endocytosis of nanoparticles was confirmed from TEM studies and it resulted in disruption of F-actin and β-tubulin cytoskeleton. These studies show that the gelatin nanoparticles prepared by water-in-oil microemulsion systems are endocytosed by the fibroblasts without being toxic to cells even at high concentration of nanoparticles.