Reactivity of engineered inorganic nanoparticles and carbon nanostructures in biological media

Abstract

Biocompatibility, biodistribution, biodegradation, inflammation and interference with cell and normal functioning of tissues, among others, will determine the toxicity of engineered inorganic nanoparticles and carbon nanostructures, and therefore the extent of their use. Recent examples in the literature show that engineered inorganic nanoparticles and carbon nanostructures, which may incidentally or intendedly enter into contact with living organisms, normally do not cause acute toxic effects. However, their interaction with living organisms may disrupt normal activity leading to malfunctioning and diseases. Indeed, the observed nanoparticle-biology interactions, which can be used to detect and manipulate biological states and to heal damaged organs, could also lead to environmental and human health hazards. Therefore, there should be proper risk assessments to avoid the consequences of an uncontrolled release of massive amounts of nanoparticles in the environment. This review focuses on the particular physico-chemical properties of inorganic matter at the nanoscale in order to understand and track its evolution within living organisms, and thus monitor their interactions.

• Nanoparticles
• nanotoxicology
• surface chemistry

Acknowledgements

We thank Dr Fernando Dominguez from University of Santiago de Compostela (USC) for critical reading of the manuscript and Dr Wolfgang Parak for discussion. Financial support from the Spanish ministry through NANOBIOMED INGENIO 2010 and PN MAT2006-13572-C02-02 projects.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.