Increased uptake of silica nanoparticles in inflamed macrophages but not upon co-exposure to micron-sized particles

Silica nanoparticles (NPs) are widely used in various industrial and biomedical applications. Little is known about the cellular uptake of co-exposed silica particles, as can be expected in our daily life. In addition, an inflamed microenvironment might affect a NP’s uptake and a cell’s physiological response. Herein, prestimulated mouse J774A.1 macrophages with bacterial lipopolysaccharide were post-exposed to micron- and nanosized silica particles, either alone or together, i.e., simultaneously or sequentially, for different time points. The results indicated a morphological change and increased expression of tumor necrosis factor alpha in lipopolysaccharide prestimulated cells, suggesting a M1-polarization phenotype. Confocal laser scanning microscopy revealed the intracellular accumulation and uptake of both particle types for all exposure conditions. A flow cytometry analysis showed an increased particle uptake in lipopolysaccharide prestimulated macrophages. However, no differences were observed in particle uptakes between single- and co-exposure conditions. We did not observe any colocalization between the two silica (SiO₂) particles. However, there was a positive colocalization between lysosomes and nanosized silica but only a few colocalized events with micro-sized silica particles. This suggests differential intracellular localizations of silica particles in macrophages and a possible activation of distinct endocytic pathways. The results demonstrate that the cellular uptake of NPs is modulated in inflamed macrophages but not in the presence of micron-sized particles.