TEMPO-Oxidized Cellulose Nanofibers In Vitro Cyto-genotoxicity Studies

Chemically oxidized cellulose, with 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl reagent (TEMPO), has been considered, in the last decade, as one of the most attractive renewable materials for advanced applications, especially in the biomedical field. However, little information about its toxicological effects is available in the literature. The mutagenic potential and cytotoxicity tests reveal, at the first level of evidence, the toxicological effect of the materials, aiming at their safe use in the medical field. Therefore, the main goal of this study was to evaluate the mutagenic activity of TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibers (CNF) by the Ames test and its cytotoxic potential by MTT assay. The Ames test was carried out using the changed strains ofSalmonella typhimuriumTA98, TA97a, TA100, and TA102, and the cytotoxicity tests were performed using the normal cell line GM07492A and human metabolizing cells (HepG2). The results showed that the modified cellulose did not increase the number of revertant colonies ofS. typhimurium, indicating no mutagenic effect, and a low cytotoxic effect was found when compared with their respective negative controls. The results of the mutagenicity and cytotoxicity tests suggest it is harmless, supporting, at the first level of evidence, its safety potential to be used in the health and medical fields.