In vivo bio-distribution and acute toxicity evaluation of greenly synthesized ultra-small gold nanoparticles with different biological activities

Ultra-small gold nanoparticles (Au-NPs) "≤ 10 nm diameters" have potent biomedical applications. Hence, the present study aimed to greenly synthesize ultra-small gold nanoparticles using Egyptian propolis extract. Different biological activities, in vivo bio-distribution and acute toxicity study were assessed. Results revealed that, Egyptian propolis extract can successfully synthesize the highly pure and stable ultra-small Au-NPs with average diameter 7.8 nm. In vitro antimicrobial and antimycobacterial activities revealed the powerful effect of the prepared Au-NPs. Moreover, the cytotoxic effect on human cancer cell lines revealed the potent inhibition of the cancer cells' proliferation with high reactive oxygen species-mediated apoptosis induction. In vivo bio-distribution and acute toxicity studies were performed (10 and 100 mg/kg doses) in male albino rats. The ultra-small Au-NPs showed low or no toxicity upon using the Au-NPs low dose. The mean area accumulation (%) of the Au-NPs was higher in the liver, kidney, and brain tissues (4.41, 2.96, and 0.3 times, respectively) treated with high Au-NPs dosage compared to those treated with the low dose. Surprisingly, Au-NP accumulation in brain tissue was observed in the glial cells only. Accordingly, the low dose (10 mg/kg) of Au-NPs can be used safely in a variety of biomedical applications.