Nanoscience refers to the study of the phenomena and manipulation of materials at atomic, molecular and nanomolecular scales. Nanotechnology refers to the design, characterisation, production and ...application of structures, devices and systems by controlling shape and size at nanometre scale for practical application, in information technology, energy, environmental science, medicine, food safety and transportation (McNeil, 2005; Buzea et al, 2007; Shinde et al, 2012) and many other fields. According to the definition given in the technical report of the International Standards Organization (ISO), engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) encompass nano-sized objects with one or more external dimension in the nano-scale (ISO, 2010).
Biological monitoring (BM) of engineered nanomaterials (ENM) requires the development of appropriate biomarkers of exposure and early biological effect considering the unusual properties of ENM, such ...as the ability to translocate from the route of entry, to release ions due to their dissolution (for metal species), and to change their chemical identity upon interaction with biomolecules. Although inflammation and oxidative stress represent the main mechanism of injury for several nanoparticles, specific physico-chemical properties can trigger more complex pathophysiological events. Research on biomarkers of particles and fibers of concern has already generated a large amount of data supporting the validity of intermediate end-points to assess changes before clinically apparent disease occurs. The challenge that remains for the development of biomarkers of exposure for ENM is the lack of specificity of all the biomarkers developed so far. However, advances in the system biology and “-omic” techniques applied to nanotoxicology allow assessment as to whether specific biological pathways are activated/perturbed by specific ENM, thus identifying fingerprints and nano-specific endpoints. While future studies should address the specificity of biomarkers, the priority is to evaluate whether quantitative changes in a battery of sensitive biomarkers can occur in groups of exposed workers.
This chapter discusses developmental toxicity of engineered nanoparticles. Revolutionary developments of physics, chemistry and material sciences have led to the emergence of nanotechnology. ...Nano-objects have found different applications as diagnostic and therapeutic tools in biomedicine. Engineered nanoparticles are defined by differences in their shape, size, surface charge and chemical composition, mostly due to the mode of their production. Some of the nanoparticles are carbon nanoparticle, carbon nanotubes, quantum dots, inorganic nanoparticles and inorganic nanotubes. Non-degradable nanomaterials can accumulate in organs and inside cells where they can exert detrimental effects. One major uncertainty in interpretation of experimental toxicity studies as well as in risk assessment of engineered nanomaterial arises from lack of systematic knowledge about the physico-chemical characteristics of the material arriving at the major portals through which nanoparticles can enter the body, i.e. lung, skin, gastro-intestinal tract, nasal olfactory structures and eyes. The small size of nanoparticles allows them to easily enter and traverse tissues, cells and organelles since the actual size of engineered nanoparticles is similar to that of many biological molecules and structures. Nanoparticles are translocated from lung to blood and across the blood–brain barrier as well as the placenta. Maternal exposure to engineered nanoparticles may potentially affect fetal development directly as well as through indirect pathways. Engineered nanomaterials can cause inflammation, allergy, genotoxicity and carcinogenicity. The need for risk assessment of engineered nanomaterials has also generated a need for a novel risk assessment concept. The goal of control banding is to prevent excessive exposure to compounds such as engineered nanomaterials.
PDF
