Potential risks and benefits of zinc oxide nanoparticles: a systematic review

Abstract

Zinc oxide nanoparticles are well-known metal oxide nanoparticles having numbers of applications in the field of cosmetology, medicine, and chemistry. However, the number of reports has indicated its toxicity also such as hepatotoxicity, pulmonary toxicity, neurotoxicity, and immunotoxicity. Thus, in this article, we have analyzed the potential risks and benefits of zinc oxide nanoparticles. The data related to risks and benefits of zinc oxide nanoparticles have been extracted from PubMed (from January 2007 to August 2019). A total of 3,892 studies have been published during this period regarding zinc oxide nanoparticles. On the basis of inclusion and exclusion criteria, 277 studies have been included for the analysis of risks and benefits. Emerging reports have indicated both risks and benefits of zinc oxide nanoparticles in concentration- and time-dependent manner under in vitro and in vivo conditions through different mechanism of action. In conclusion, zinc oxide nanoparticles could play a beneficial role in the treatment of various diseases but safety of these particles at particular effective concentration should be thoroughly evaluated.

Keywords:

• Zinc oxide nanoparticles
• risks
• benefits

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge Dr. S.J.S. Flora, Director, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Raebareli, for thoughtful suggestions, constant support, and motivation. The authors also acknowledge the three anonymous reviewers and the editor for their time and dedication in reviewing the manuscript. The comments, questions, and suggestions received from editor and reviewer’s helped to shape and improve the final paper. The authors thank Vipin Bhati, Priyanka Chaudhary, Shailesh Bhosale, and Navyashree (MS students) for their assistance in improvement of figures and tables. The authors also thank Dr. Kamal Kant for his suggestions during revision of this manuscript.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflict of interests. The author’s affiliation is as shown on the cover page. The institutions with which the authors are affiliated are academic institutions, and the authors take sole responsibility for the writing and content of the manuscript. The institution receives support from the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Government of India. First author, Keerthana S received financial assistance in the form of GPAT fellowship from All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). The NIPER communication number for this article is NIPER-R/Communication/105. None of the authors have been involved in legal or regulatory matters related to the contents of the paper.