Epigenetic mechanisms in nanomaterial-induced toxicity

Abstract

With the growing advent of nanotechnology in medicine (therapeutic, diagnostic and imaging applications), cosmetics, electronics, clothing and food industries, exposure to nanomaterials (NMs) is on the rise and therefore exploring their toxic biological effects have gained great significance. In vitro and in vivo studies over the last decade have revealed that NMs have the potential to cause cytotoxicity and genotoxicity although some contradictory reports exist. However, there are only few studies which have explored the epigenetic mechanisms (changes to DNA methylation, histone modification and miRNA expression) of NM-induced toxicity, and there is a scarcity of information and many questions in this area remain unexplored and unaddressed. This review comprehensively describes the epigenetic mechanisms involved in the induction of toxicity of engineered NMs, and provides comparisons between similar effects observed upon exposure to small or nanometer-sized particles. Lastly, gaps in existing literature and scope for future studies that improve our understanding of NM-induced epigenetic toxicity are discussed.

Keywords::

• air pollutants
• chromatin condensation
• DNA methylation
• epigenetic toxicity
• genotoxicity
• histone modifications
• miRNA
• nanomaterial
• nanotechnology

Acknowledgement

The authors would like to thank MSL Bay for her assistance rendered for Figure 2.

Financial and competing interests disclosure

This research is funded by the Singapore National Research Foundation and the publication is supported under the Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE) program. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

This research is funded by the Singapore National Research Foundation and the publication is supported under the Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE) program. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.