Dependence of Nanoparticle Toxicity on Their Physical and Chemical Properties

Abstract

Studies on the methods of nanoparticle (NP) synthesis, analysis of their characteristics, and exploration of new fields of their applications are at the forefront of modern nanotechnology. The possibility of engineering water-soluble NPs has paved the way to their use in various basic and applied biomedical researches. At present, NPs are used in diagnosis for imaging of numerous molecular markers of genetic and autoimmune diseases, malignant tumors, and many other disorders. NPs are also used for targeted delivery of drugs to tissues and organs, with controllable parameters of drug release and accumulation. In addition, there are examples of the use of NPs as active components, e.g., photosensitizers in photodynamic therapy and in hyperthermic tumor destruction through NP incorporation and heating. However, a high toxicity of NPs for living organisms is a strong limiting factor that hinders their use in vivo. Current studies on toxic effects of NPs aimed at identifying the targets and mechanisms of their harmful effects are carried out in cell culture models; studies on the patterns of NP transport, accumulation, degradation, and elimination, in animal models. This review systematizes and summarizes available data on how the mechanisms of NP toxicity for living systems are related to their physical and chemical properties.

Keywords: Imaging; Nanoparticles; Nanotoxicity; Quantum dots; Surface chemistry; Theranostics.

Fig. 1

Mechanisms of cell damage by nanoparticles. (1) Physical damage of membranes [43, 67, 75]. (2) Structural changes in cytoskeleton components [45, 46]. (3) Disturbance of transcription and oxidative damage of DNA [61, 62]. (4) Damage of mitochondria [39, 40]. (5) Disturbance of lysosome functioning [51]. (6) Generation of reactive oxygen species [61]. (7) Disturbance of membrane protein functions [172]. (8) Synthesis of inflammatory factors and mediators [54, 55]

Fig. 2

The possible reasons why quantum dots may be nontoxic in animal models. (1) The shell prevents the leakage of heavy metals into the body [129, 135]. (2) Quantum dots are localized in the liver and subsequently eliminated from the body [135, 173]. (3) The protein crown around quantum dots protects the body from heavy metals [132, 174]