Toxicity of metal-based nanomaterials in different organisms

Abstract

Metal-based nanomaterials (MNMs) possess exceptional properties that have led to their widespread use in various fields, including medicine, energy, electronics, and agriculture. However, this increased utilization of MNMs also raises concerns about their potential release into environmental compartments, such as soil, water bodies, and the atmosphere, which could adversely affect the environmental system and living organisms. Hence, it is crucial to investigate the environmental risks associated with MNMs. This review comprehensively discusses the adverse effects of MNMs at different levels, including organismal, tissue, metabolic, molecular, and genetic levels. Additionally, it offers a holistic perspective on their overall impact. Specifically, biological models are categorized based on the environmental medium, and the effects of MNMs on tissues, organs, growth, development, and reproduction of individual biological models are summarized. Furthermore, the mechanisms underlying the toxicity of different MNMs toward biological models are also discussed. By doing so, this review provides a comprehensive and system-level understanding of nanotoxicity.