Biodistribution and toxicity of nanodiamonds in mice after intratracheal instillation.

Nanodiamonds (NDs) are receiving increasing attention in materials science and nanotechnology-based industries for a large variety of applications, including protein immobilization, biosensors, therapeutic molecule delivery, and bioimaging. However, limited information is known about their biokinetic behavior and toxicity in vivo. In this article, we investigated the biodistribution of NDs using radiotracer techniques and evaluated its acute toxicity in Kun Ming mice after intratracheal instillation. The biodistribution showed that, besides having the highest retention in the lung, NDs were distributed mainly in the spleen, liver, bone and heart. An analysis of histological morphology and biochemical parameters indicated that NDs could induce dose-dependent toxicity to the lung, liver, kidney and blood. This work provided fundamental data for understanding the biodistribution of NDs and will provide guidance for further study of their toxicity. Crown Copyright 2010. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.