Nanoparticles Toxicity and DNA Change

Recent publications in medical journals raised many concerns regarding nanoparticals and their toxicity.

Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles are being widely used for various biomedical applications, say experts, from magnetic resonance imaging, targeted delivery of drugs or genes, to the treatment of hyperthermia.

Studies show that even if the practical and beneficial use of this technology is considerable, there might cause a potential cellular damage associated with the use of nanoparticles.

 

Cellular alterations in the form of DNA damage and oxidative stress are the greatest threat, say scholars. These include cellular perturbations including modulation of actin cytoskeleton, alteration in gene expression profiles, disturbance in iron homeostasis and altered cellular responses such as activation of signaling pathways and impairment of cell cycle regulation.