ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Due to its strong catalytic activity and selective catalytic oxidation, gold-silver bimetallic nanoparticles have potential applications in biomedicine, drug delivery and electrochemical analysis.OBJECTIVE: To prepare the gold-silver alloy nanoparticles using mitochondria in animal cells as templates. METHODS: Separating mitochondria from the fish liver: 1 mL of mitochondrial mother liquor was added into 1 mL of alkaline HAuCl4solution (10 mmol/L) and shaken; then, 1 mL of AgNO3solution (10 mmol/L) was added, and the mixture was reacted in an electromagnetic stirrer for 20-30 hours until the color of the reaction solution was changed from colorless to purple, which indicated that gold and silver alloy nanoparticles were successfully obtained; finally, the characterization of the nanoparticles was analyzed. (1) Cytotoxicity test: gold-silver alloy nanoparticles atdifferent concentrations (0, 25, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150 mg/L) were added into gastric cancer cells. After 48 hours of culture, the proliferation of cells (absorbance value) was detected by MTT assay. (2) Stability evaluation: 1 mL of gold-silver alloy nanoparticles at different concentrations (0, 25, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150 mg/L) were placed into glass reaction flasks and then, 0.2 mL of ultrapure water was added in portions following by shaking. After addition of the ultra-pure water, ultraviolet-visible spectrum was used to analyze the characterization of the solution. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The gold-silver alloy nanoparticles were spherically distributed and confirmed to have an alloy structure with the average particle size of 20-30 nm, and presented to have the advantages of simple structure, good crystallinity, and active groups such as hydroxyl and carbonyl groups on the surface. MTT results showed that the gold-silver alloy nanoparticles at the mass concentration of < 150 mg/L had no obvious cytotoxicity. The characteristic absorption peak with the largest intensity was positively correlated with the concentration of gold-silver alloy nanoparticles.To conclude,the gold-silver alloy nanoparticles have good cytocompatibility and stability in vitro.