Nanoparticle-induced pulmonary toxicity

Abstract

In recent decades, advances in nanotechnology engineering have given rise to the rapid development of many novel applications in the biomedical field. However, studies into the health and safety of these nanomaterials are still lacking. The main concerns are the adverse effects to health caused by acute or chronic exposure to nanoparticles (NPs), especially in the workplace environment. The lung is one of the main routes of entry for NPs into the body and, hence, a likely site for accumulation of NPs. Once NPs enter the interstitial air spaces and are quickly taken up by alveolar cells, they are likely to induce toxic effects. In this review, we highlight the different aspects of lung toxicity resulting from NP exposure, such as generation of oxidative stress, DNA damage and inflammation leading to fibrosis and pneumoconiosis, and the underlying mechanisms causing pulmonary toxicity.

Fullerene (C60) Is Negative in the In Vivo Pig-A Gene Mutation Assay

“…Additionally, intratracheal instillation of C 60 could induce in‰ammatory responses in the lung (13). It is known that reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation by nanoparticles could be due to particle-cell interactions, especially in the lungs where there is a rich pool of ROS producers like the in‰ammatory phagocytes, neutrophols and macrophages (14). According to these observations, it is possible that both direct exposure to the target tissue and in‰ammatory response are important factors in the evaluation of the genotoxicity of C60.…”

Biological Activities of Carbon Nanotubes

“…Oxidative stress further leads to inflammation and toxicity which ultimately results in cell death. Other studies have also suggested that oxidative stress plays an important role in nanoparticle-induced toxicities (Warheit, Laurence et al 2004;Li, Muralikrishnan et al 2010). The damage caused by nanoparticle-induced oxidative stress can be reduced by pretreatment with antioxidants (Shvedova, Kisin et al 2007).…”

“…Therefore, respiratory exposure of nanomaterials including CNT has been the focus of intense research. Lung exposure to solid particles has been linked to asthma (Bonner 2010), fibrosis (Shvedova, Kisin et al 2005), mesothelioma (Sakamoto, Nakae et al 2009), and other inflammatory diseases (Li, Muralikrishnan et al 2010). The region of lung affected by accidently inhaled materials depends on the shape (fibrous, spherical), size (aerodynamic diameter), and other physical and chemical properties of the particles.…”

A New Era of Pulmonary Delivery of Nano-antimicrobial Therapeutics to Treat Chronic Pulmonary Infections

“…It has been observed that multi-walled carbon-nanotube based delivery systems have the capacity to collect in the subpleural regions of the lung, leading to pulmonary fibrosis, multifocal granulomatous inflammation, diffuse histiocytic and neutrophilic inflammation, intra-alveolar lipoproteinosis etc. [110,112]. Inhaled nanoparticles can not only cause inflammation and other exacerbations, but may also interfere with the functioning of the pulmonary system.…”