Biological Reactivity of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles With Mammalian Test Systems: an Overview

Abstract

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) have useful physicochemical advantages, and are used extensively. This has raised concerns regarding their potential toxicity. ZnO NP attributes that contribute to cytotoxicity and immune reactivity, however, seem to vary across literature considerably. Largely, dissolution and generation of reactive oxygen species appear to be the most commonly reported paradigms. Moreover, ZnO NP size and shape may also contribute toward their overall nano–bio interactions. Analysis is further complicated by factors such as adsorption of proteins on the NP surface, which may influence their bioreactivity. The main aim of this review is to give a systematic overview of the postulates explaining cytotoxic, inflammatory and genotoxic effects of ZnO NPs when exposed to different types of cells in vitro and in vivo.

Keywords::

• apoptosis
• cytokines
• cytotoxicity
• genotoxicity
• inflammation
• in vivo
• reactive oxygen species
• zinc ions

Financial & competing interests disclosure

Project supported by National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) project grant no. 616621. AL Lopata is an Australian Research Council – Future Fellow. A Duschl acknowledges funding from the European Union’s Seventh Programme for research, technological development and demonstration within the project NanoValid (contract no. 263147), and from the University of Salzburg Centre of Molecular Sciences. 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

Project supported by National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) project grant no. 616621. AL Lopata is an Australian Research Council – Future Fellow. A Duschl acknowledges funding from the European Union’s Seventh Programme for research, technological development and demonstration within the project NanoValid (contract no. 263147), and from the University of Salzburg Centre of Molecular Sciences. 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.