Blood compatibility evaluations of CaCO3 particles

CaCO3 particles, due to their unique properties such as biodegradation, pH-sensitivity, and porous surface, have been widely used as carrier materials for delivering drugs, genes, vaccines, and other bioactive molecules. In these applications, CaCO3 particles are often administered intravenously. In this sense, the interaction between CaCO3 particles and blood components plays a key role in their delivery efficacy and biosafety, though the hemocompatibility of CaCO3 particles has not been evaluated until now. Deficiency in the biosafety information has delayed the clinical use of CaCO3 particles in delivery systems. In this work, we investigated the biosafety of CaCO3 particles, focusing on their in vitro and in vivo effects on key blood components (red blood cells, platelets, etc) and coagulation functions. We found in vitro that high concentrations of CaCO3 particles can cause the aggregation and hemolysis of red blood cells, with platelet activation and coagulation prolongation. In vivo, we found that intravenously injected CaCO3 particles at 50 mg kg(-1) significantly disturbed the red blood cells, and platelet-related blood routine indexes, but did not induce visible abnormalities in the tissue structures of the key organs. Overall, these effects may be due to the enormous adsorption capability of the porous surface of CaCO3 particles. 0.1 mg ml(-1) of the CaCO3 particles exhibit excellent compatibility for their practical applications. These results would be expected to greatly promote the in vivo applications and clinical use of CaCO3 particles in biomedicine.

Automated summary

CaCO3 particles, widely used as carrier materials for delivering bioactive molecules, may cause aggregation and hemolysis of red blood cells, as well as platelet activation and coagulation prolongation. Intravenous injection of CaCO3 particles significantly affects red blood cells and platelet-related indexes, but does not induce visible abnormalities in tissue structures of key organs.