Cytotoxicity and pro-inflammatory effect of GaSb thin films in L929 cells

Abstract

Gallium antimonide (GaSb)-based devices operate efficiently in the infrared region. Investigating the toxicity of GaSb thin film is necessary for using embedded GaSb-based devices in living organisms. In this study, viability, oxidative stress, inflammatory responses, apoptosis induction and genotoxicity of GaSb were assayed using L929 cells following a 24 h exposure to GaSb. GaSb thin films were deposited on a quartz substrate using radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering. These films were soaked in cell culture medium to prepare test solutions. The viability of cells treated with the GaSb extract was lower than that of control cells. GaSb elicited little reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-[Formula: see text] and interleukin (IL)-1[Formula: see text] levels were elevated in GaSb-treated cell culture supernatants. Apoptosis and genotoxicity were not evident following GaSb treatment. Overall, these results demonstrate the low toxicity of GaSb compared with previous studies examining arsenic-containing III–V materials, which is desirable for biological devices.