Toxicity Of Metal Oxide Nanoparticles Research Articles

Metal nanoparticle-induced effects on green toads (Amphibia, Anura) under climate change: conservation implications.

The toxicity of aluminum oxide (Al2O3), copper oxide (CuO), iron oxide (Fe3O4), nickel oxide (NiO), zinc oxide (ZnO), and titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles (NPs) on amphibians and their interaction with high temperatures, remain unknown. In this study, we investigated the survival, developmental, behavioral, and histological reactions of Bufotes viridis embryos and larvae exposed to different NPs for a duration of 10 days, using lethal concentrations (LC25%, LC50%, and LC75% mg/L) under both ambient (AT: 18 °C) and high (HT: 21 °C) temperatures. Based on LC, NiONPs > ZnONPs > CuONPs > Al2O3NPs > TiO2NPs > Fe3O4NPs showed the highest mortality at AT. A similar pattern was observed at HT, although mortality occurred at lower concentrations and Fe3O4NPs were more toxic than TiO2NPs. The results indicated that increasing concentrations of NPs significantly reduced hatching rates, except for TiO2NPs. Survival rates decreased, abnormality rates increased, and developmental processes slowed down, particularly for NiONPs and ZnONPs, under HT conditions. However, exposure to low concentrations of Fe3O4NPs for up to 7 days, CuONPs for up to 72 h, and NiO, ZnONPs, and TiO2NPs for up to 96 h did not have a negative impact on survival compared with the control group under AT. In behavioral tests with larvae, NPs generally induced hypoactivity at AT and hyperactivity at HT. Histological findings revealed liver and internal gill tissue lesions, and an increase in the number of melanomacrophage centers at HT. These results suggest that global warming may exacerbate the toxicity of metal oxide NPs to amphibians, emphasizing the need for further research and conservation efforts in this context.

Toxicity of Metal Oxide Nanoparticles: Looking through the Lens of Toxicogenomics.

The impact of solubility on the toxicity of metal oxide nanoparticles (MONPs) requires further exploration to ascertain the impact of the dissolved and particulate species on response. In this study, FE1 mouse lung epithelial cells were exposed for 2-48 h to 4 MONPs of varying solubility: zinc oxide, nickel oxide, aluminum oxide, and titanium dioxide, in addition to microparticle analogues and metal chloride equivalents. Previously published data from FE1 cells exposed for 2-48 h to copper oxide and copper chloride were examined in the context of exposures in the present study. Viability was assessed using Trypan Blue staining and transcriptomic responses via microarray analysis. Results indicate material solubility is not the sole property governing MONP toxicity. Transcriptional signaling through the 'HIF-1α Signaling' pathway describes the response to hypoxia, which also includes genes associated with processes such as oxidative stress and unfolded protein responses and represents a conserved response across all MONPs tested. The number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in this pathway correlated with apical toxicity, and a panel of the top ten ranked DEGs was constructed (Hmox1, Hspa1a, Hspa1b, Mmp10, Adm, Serpine1, Slc2a1, Egln1, Rasd1, Hk2), highlighting mechanistic differences among tested MONPs. The HIF-1α pathway is proposed as a biomarker of MONP exposure and toxicity that can help prioritize MONPs for further evaluation and guide specific testing strategies.

Comparative molecular docking and toxicity between carbon-capped metal oxide nanoparticles and standard drugs in cancer and bacterial infections.

Nanoparticles (NPs) are of great interest in the design of various drugs due to their high surface-to-volume ratio, which result from their unique physicochemical properties. Because of the importance of examining the interactions between newly designed particles with different targets in the case of various diseases, techniques for examining the interactions between these particles with different targets, many of which are proteins, are now very common. In this study, the interactions between metal oxide nanoparticles (MONPs) covered with a carbon layer (Ag2O3, CdO, CuO, Fe2O3, FeO, MgO, MnO, and ZnO NPs) and standard drugs related to the targets of Cancer and bacterial infections were investigated using the molecular docking technique with AutoDock 4.2.6 software tool. Finally, the PRO TOX-II online tool was used to compare the toxicity (LD50) and molecular weight of these MONPs to standard drugs. According to the data obtained from the semi flexible molecular docking process, MgO and Fe2O3 NPs performed better than standard drugs in several cases. MONPs typically have a lower 50% lethal dose (LD50) and a higher molecular weight than standard drugs. MONPs have shown a minor difference in binding energy for different targets in three diseases, which probably can be attributed to the specific physicochemical and pharmacophoric properties of MONPs. The toxicity of MONPs is one of the major challenges in the development of drugs based on them. According to the results of these molecular docking studies, MgO and Fe2O3 NPs had the highest efficiency among the investigated MONPs.

Metal Oxide Nanoparticles in Food Packaging and Their Influence on Human Health.

It is a matter of common knowledge in the literature that engineered metal oxide nanoparticles have properties that are efficient for the design of innovative food/beverage packages. Although nanopackages have many benefits, there are circumstances when these materials are able to release nanoparticles into the food/beverage matrix. Once dispersed into food, engineered metal oxide nanoparticles travel through the gastrointestinal tract and subsequently enter human cells, where they display various behaviors influencing human health or wellbeing. This review article provides an insight into the antimicrobial mechanisms of metal oxide nanoparticles as essential for their benefits in food/beverage packaging and provides a discussion on the oral route of these nanoparticles from nanopackages to the human body. This contribution also highlights the potential toxicity of metal oxide nanoparticles for human health. The fact that only a small number of studies address the issue of food packaging based on engineered metal oxide nanoparticles should be particularly noted.

Review on aquatic toxicity of metal oxide nanoparticles

Metal oxide nanoparticles are some of the most widely used nanomaterials in the agriculture, consumer products, and energy sectors. Their increased requirements and wide applications can necessarily cause harm to ecosystems and organisms. So, it is vital to understand the main toxicity before they caused harmful effects on the human health. The unique characteristics of nanoengineered materials include carbon fullerenes, carbon nanotubes, metal oxide nanoparticles and quantum dots, among many others have led to the capacity for various toxicities in comparison to the materials in bulk. This review mainly metal oxide nanoparticle can exert adverse effects on humans and aquatic organisms; however, their toxic mechanisms are still unclear. With the well-known consequences of inhaled fine particulate matter, inhalational toxicity is to be expected. Nanotoxicology exhibits a booming research area and aims in finding out their societal or an environmental threat. Ecological factors along with the innatequalities affect nanoparticles (NPs) fate, behavioural and transport, and eventually leading to toxicity. This review examines the research performed in the last two decade to show how metal and metal oxide nanoparticles are influencing the aquatic environment. We addressed here, the physico-chemical characteristics of nanomaterials (NMs), characterization, exposure routes in the aquatic ecosystem. This review summarizes the current understanding and the future possibilities of challenges and advances in nanotoxicology research.

Using the Isalos platform to develop a (Q)SAR model that predicts metal oxide toxicity utilizing facet-based electronic, image analysis-based, and periodic table derived properties as descriptors

Engineered nanoparticles (NPs) are being studied for their potential to harm humans and the environment. Biological activity, toxicity, physicochemical properties, fate, and transport of NPs must all be evaluated and/or predicted. In this work, we explored the influence of metal oxide nanoparticle facets on their toxicity towards bronchial epithelial (BEAS-2B), Murine myeloid (RAW 264.7), and E. coli cell lines. To estimate the toxicity of metal oxide nanoparticles grown to a low facet index, a quantitative structure–activity relationship ((Q)SAR) approach was used. The novel model employs theoretical (density functional theory calculations) and experimental studies (transmission electron microscopy images from which several particle descriptors are extracted and toxicity data extracted from the literature) to investigate the properties of faceted metal oxides, which are then utilized to construct a toxicity model. The classification mode of the k-nearest neighbour algorithm (EnaloskNN, Enalos Chem/Nanoinformatics) was used to create the presented model for metal oxide cytotoxicity. Four descriptors were identified as significant: core size, chemical potential, enthalpy of formation, and electronegativity count of metal oxides. The relationship between these descriptors and metal oxide facets is discussed to provide insights into the relative toxicities of the nanoparticle. The model and the underpinning dataset are freely available on the NanoSolveIT project cloud platform and the NanoPharos database, respectively.

Six-well plate-based colony-forming efficacy assay and Co-Culture application to assess toxicity of metal oxide nanoparticles

The development of a universal, label-free, and reliable in vitro toxicity testing method for nanoparticles is urgent because most nanoparticles can interfere with toxicity assays. In this regard, the colony-forming efficacy (CFE) assay has been suggested as a suitable in vitro toxicity assay for testing nanoparticles without such interference. Recently, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) developed a 60 × 15 mm Petri dish-based CFE assay for testing nanoparticles in MDCK-1 cells. However, further investigations are needed, including testing with other cell types, at a smaller scale for greater efficiency, and the application of the co-culture technique. In this study, we selected TiO2, CuO, CeO2, and SiO2 as test nanoparticles and successfully developed a 6-well plate-based CFE assay using HepG2 and A549 cells and a co-culture assay for combinations of HepG2 cells and THP-1 macrophages or A549 cells and THP-1 monocytes. The results suggest that the 6-wellplate-based CFE assay for HepG2 and A549 cells can be applied to nanoparticles, but the co-culture CFE assay has limitations in that it is not different from the single culture study, and it inhibits colony-formation by A549 cells in the presence of macrophages; this warrant further study.

Quantum mechanics descriptors in a nano-QSAR model to predict metal oxide nanoparticles toxicity in human keratinous cells

Quantum mechanics descriptors in a nano-QSAR model to predict metal oxide nanoparticles toxicity in human keratinous cells

Research progress on toxicity, function, and mechanism of metal oxide nanoparticles on vascular endothelial cells.

Metal oxide nanoparticles present stable and unique performance that makes them suitable for various biomedical applications. There are four common exposure ways that nanoparticles enter our body: injection, inhalation, skin penetration, and ingestion. Among them, injection, ingestion, and skin routes may become significant ways for nano-scale treatment and cosmetics, and inhalation is the essential way for occupational exposure. All those nanoparticles could pass through the exposure routes and enter the circulation, which could cause damage on the cardiovascular system. So it is necessary to evaluate the toxicity of metal oxide nanoparticles and to explore the mechanism. This review chose four commonly used nanometal oxides to discuss about the toxicity they produced, the function they affected, and the mechanisms on cardiovascular endothelial cells. First, we discussed the toxicity they caused. These nanoparticles are less toxic when applied in low doses, but owing to the small particle size and large specific surface area, acute exposure or the metal ions released by nanoparticles will lead to phenotypic changes of endothelial cells, oxidative stress, and apoptosis. An endothelial cell is an essential part of blood vessels and could act as a barrier, maintain vascular tension, and keep the balance between coagulation and anticoagulation. Once vascular endothelium is injured or exposed to vascular risk factors, it would cause endothelial activation, endothelial dysfunction, and nitric oxide (NO) synthase (NOS) dysfunction, which are closely related to the cardiovascular disease. Finally, we talked about the mechanisms by four levels, and we especially mentioned inflammation, the production of reactive oxygen species, and NO.

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles-induced cytogenotoxicity and alterations in haematological indices of Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822).

The application of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles (NPs) in the manufacturing of consumer products has increased tremendously and with the potential to induce deleterious effects on aquatic biota. There have been reports on metal oxide NP toxicity in aquatic organisms, however, information on cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of TiO2 NPs on the African catfish, Clarias gariepinus, is scarce. In this study, we investigated the genotoxicity and haematotoxicity of TiO2 NPs in C. gariepinus using the micronucleus (MN) assay and haematological analysis, respectively. Juvenile C. gariepinus were exposed to 6.25, 12.5, 25.0, 50.0 and 100.0 mg L-1 concentrations of TiO2 NPs for 7 and 28 days. Benzene (0.05 mL L-1) and dechlorinated tap water were used as positive and negative controls, respectively. Data of the MN showed a significant (p < 0.05) concentration-dependent increase in the frequency of MN at both exposure periods in comparison to negative control. Red blood cells, haematocrit, platelets and heterophils significantly reduced with an increased mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration and lymphocytes at the 7-day exposure period, while in the 28-day exposure period, mean cell volume, mean corpuscular haemoglobin and lymphocytes had a significant increase in comparison with the negative control. This study indicates that TiO2 NPs induced cytogenetic and haematological alterations in C. gariepinus and is of relevance in biodiversity and aquatic health management.

Hazard assessment of polymer-capped CuO and ZnO nanocolloids: A contribution to the safe-by-design implementation of biocidal agents

The antibacterial activity of metal oxide (MeO) nanoparticles (NPs) has been extensively reported. Nevertheless, there is a general concern about MeO NPs toxicity, and much efforts are being devoted to improve a safe employment of these nanomaterials by surface functionalization. In this work, we propose to investigate if the coating of copper and zinc oxides (CuO and ZnO) NPs with the polymers poly(ethylene imine) (PEI) or poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) is able protect non-target cells and organisms from the toxicity of antibacterial MeOs NPs. The overall results obtained exposing lung cells and Xenopus laevis embryos to CuO-PEG, CuO-PEI, ZnO-PEG and ZnO-PEI, indicate that PEG, but not PEI coating, is able to exert a protective function against MeOs toxicity. The ability of PEG shell to reduce the adverse impact of MeOs NPs is in part associated to a protection from the oxidative stress, even if in vitro results indicate that peghylation is not able to prevent pro-inflammatory responses. We suggest that the different intracellular availability of the metal oxides upon capping with PEG or PEI, together with the involvement of multiple mechanisms of action, may be responsible for the different toxicological outcome on lung cells viability and Xenopus mortality and malformations.

More data on in vitro assessment of comparative and combined toxicity of metal oxide nanoparticles

Isolated and combined damaging effects of PbO and CuO nanoparticles were estimated on an established line of human fibroblasts by a decrease in: (a) the cellular dehydrogenase activity (MTT Assay), (b) the ATP content (Luminescent Cell Viability Assay), (c) the cellular proliferation, viability, spreading, and attachment to substrate evaluated integrally by continuous impedance-based measurement of the Normalized Cell Index. Using all these indices, we demonstrate an explicit dependence of cell damage on the concentrations of both metal oxide nanoparticle (MeO-NP) species. This dependence is adequately approximated with a hyperbolic function. At equal exposure levels, PbO-NP and CuO-NP demonstrate quantitatively similar cytotoxicities. The same was observed previously for some non-specific in vivo toxicity measures. The combined in vitro cytotoxicity has also been described mathematically using the Response Surface Methodology and found to be represented by various types, thus corroborating, in this respect also, the findings of a previous animal experiment with the same MeO-NPs.

Mixture toxicity of metal oxide nanoparticles and silver ions on Daphnia magna

Because of the ubiquitous production and use of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), silver ions (Ag+) released from AgNPs can not only singly pose significant toxicity to aquatic ecosystems but can also mix with other coexisting metal oxide nanoparticles (MONPs), such as ZnO NPs and TiO2 NPs to provoke combined toxicity. However, information regarding the combined impact of MONPs on aquatic organisms is limited. In this study, the impact of exposure to mixtures composed of Ag+ and two different MONPs (i.e., ZnO NPs and TiO2 NPs) on Daphnia magna was examined. The toxicity of the mixtures containing Ag+ concentrations exceeding 0.5–1.5 μg/L and two different MONPs (Ag+-two different MONP mixture) was higher than that of the intrinsic toxicity of each component, indicating a synergistic effect. However, the concentrations of the two different MONPs did not have a strong relationship with the occurrence of the synergistic or antagonistic effect between components in the mixtures. Moreover, the combined risk of the Ag+-two different MONP mixture estimated based on a whole-value risk for the mixture (VaR:192–198) was up to eight times higher than that estimated using a component-based value risk (VaR:736–1623) considering the predicted environmental concentration of Ag+ (20 μg/L). These results imply that the component-based approach could not determine the synergistic effect between the components in the Ag+-two different MONP mixtures. Additionally, when mixed with two different MONPs, Ag+ as a major toxicant induced synergistic effects among the components in the mixture. Therefore, to evaluate the interactive effects and for environmental risk assessment of mixtures, a whole-mixture approach is recommended rather than a component-based approach.

Evaluation of labeling methods used for investigating the environmental behavior and toxicity of metal oxide nanoparticles

The analysis of the environmental behavior and toxicity of metal oxide nanoparticles (MONPs) is complicated by high metal concentrations in natural matrices.

Molecular Toxicity of Metal Oxide Nanoparticles in Danio rerio.

Metal oxide nanoparticles can exert adverse effects on humans and aquatic organisms; however, their toxic mechanisms are still unclear. We investigated the toxic effects and mechanisms of copper oxide, zinc oxide, and nickel oxide nanoparticles in Danio rerio using microarray analysis and the comet assay. Copper oxide nanoparticles were more lethal than the other metal oxide nanoparticles. Gene ontology analysis of genes that were differentially expressed following exposure to all three metal oxide nanoparticles showed that the nanoparticles mainly affected nucleic acid metabolism in the nucleus via alterations in nucleic acid binding. KEGG analysis classified the differentially expressed genes to the genotoxicity-related pathways "cell cycle", "Fanconi anemia", "DNA replication", and "homologous recombination". The toxicity of metal oxide nanoparticles may be related to impairments in DNA synthesis and repair, as well as to increased production of reactive oxygen species.

Predicting the toxicities of metal oxide nanoparticles based on support vector regression with a residual bootstrapping method

For safely using the untested metal oxide nanoparticles (MONPs) in industrial and commercial applications, it is important to predict their potential toxicities quickly and efficiently. In this research, the quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) model based on support vector regression (SVR) with a residual bootstrapping technique (BTSVR) was proposed to predict the toxicities of MONPs. It was found that the main features influencing the toxicities of MONPs were RAatom (atomic ratio of oxygen to metal), ΔHm (enthalpy of melting), and Ecoh (cohesive energy). The QSPR model constructed was robust and self-explanatory in predicting the toxicities of MONPs with the coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.87 and the root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.184 for the training sets, and R2 of 0.84 and RMSE of 0.217 for the testing sets, respectively. The performance of our model is much better than that published. Moreover, our model was validated by the external testing sets 1000 times. Therefore, it is expected that the method presented here can be used to construct powerful model in predicting the toxicities of MONPs untested or even unavailable.

Mitigating effect of organic matter on the in vivo toxicity of metal oxide nanoparticles in the marine environment

We investigate the effectiveness of two promising paradigms (i.e. dissolution and bandgap) to predict the toxicity of metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) in vivo and under seawater conditions.

Toxicity of Metal Oxide Nanoparticles.

In the recent times, nanomaterials are used in many sectors of science, medicine and industry, without revealing its toxic effects. Thus, it is in urgent need for exploring the toxicity along with the application of such useful nanomaterials. Nanomaterials are categorized with a particle size of 1-100 nm. They have gained increasing attention because of their novel properties, including a large specific surface area and high reaction activity. The various fundamental and practical applications of nanomaterials include drug delivery, cell imaging, and cancer therapy. Nanosized semiconductors have their versatile applications in different areas such as catalysts, sensors, photoelectronic devices, highly functional and effective devicesetc. Metal oxides contribute in many areas of chemistry, physics and materials science. Mechanism of toxicity of metal oxide nanoparticles can occur by different methods like oxidative stress, co-ordination effects, non-homeostasis effects, genotoxicity and others. Factors that affect the metal oxide nanoparticles were size, dissolution and exposure routes. This chapter will explain elaborately the toxicity of metal oxide nano structures in living beings and their effect in ecosystem.

Acute and chronic toxicity of metal oxide nanoparticles in chemical mechanical planarization slurries with Daphnia magna

This work reports the first toxicity assessment with Daphnia magna of model chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) slurries containing specialized nanoparticles used in CMP slurry formulations.

Second generation periodic table-based descriptors to encode toxicity of metal oxide nanoparticles to multiple species: QSTR modeling for exploration of toxicity mechanisms

The application ofin silicomethods in the risk assessment of metal oxide nanoparticles (MNPs) and data gap filling has found profound usability.