Mechanistic Insights into the Biological Effects of Engineered Nanomaterials: A Focus on Gold Nanoparticles

Abstract

Nanotechnology has great potential to significantly advance the biomedical field for the benefit of human health. However, the limited understanding of nano-bio interactions leading to unknowns about the potential adverse health effects of engineered nanomaterials and to the poor efficacy of nanomedicines has hindered their use and commercialization. This is well evidenced considering gold nanoparticles, one of the most promising nanomaterials for biomedical applications. Thus, a fundamental understanding of nano-bio interactions is of interest to nanotoxicology and nanomedicine, enabling the development of safe-by-design nanomaterials and improving the efficacy of nanomedicines. In this review, we introduce the advanced approaches currently applied in nano-bio interaction studies-omics and systems toxicology-to provide insights into the biological effects of nanomaterials at the molecular level. We highlight the use of omics and systems toxicology studies focusing on the assessment of the mechanisms underlying the in vitro biological responses to gold nanoparticles. First, the great potential of gold-based nanoplatforms to improve healthcare along with the main challenges for their clinical translation are presented. We then discuss the current limitations in the translation of omics data to support risk assessment of engineered nanomaterials.

Keywords: gold nanoparticles; molecular effects; nanomedicine; nanotoxicology; nano–bio interactions; omics.

Figure 1

Intrinsic and extrinsic factors that can modulate the toxic effects of ENMs (reproduced and modified with permission from Zhao et al., ref. [20]. Copyright 2015, Elsevier).

Figure 2

Physicochemical properties of gold nanoparticles explored in biological applications. Under illumination at or near the plasmon bands, gold nanoparticles absorb and scatter light, produce local electric fields, and can generate heat. These properties enable gold nanoparticles to be applied in bioimaging, surface-enhanced spectroscopies for sensing and molecular diagnostics, and photothermal therapy to destroy nearby cells. Due to their easy surface functionalization, gold nanoparticles are also explored for gene and drug delivery (reproduced with permission from Murphy et al., ref. [33]. Copyright 2019, American Chemical Society).

Figure 3

The versatility of gold nanoparticles. Gold nanoparticles present tunable sizes and shapes, and straightforward surface modification, enabling fine-tuning of their properties and functions. (reproduced with permission from Her et al., ref. [36]. Copyright 2017, Elsevier).