Nanoparticles and potential neurotoxicity: focus on molecular mechanisms

Davide Lovisolo; Marianna Dionisi; Federico A. Ruffinatti; Carla Distasi; Davide Lovisolo; Marianna Dionisi; Federico A. Ruffinatti; Carla Distasi

doi:10.3934/molsci.2018.1.1

AIMS Molecular Science

2018, Volume 5, Issue 1: 1-13. doi: 10.3934/molsci.2018.1.1

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Review

Nanoparticles and potential neurotoxicity: focus on molecular mechanisms

1.
Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Italy
2.
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Piemonte Orientale “A. Avogadro”, Novara, Italy
3.
Department of Neurosciences “Rita Levi Montalcini”, University of Torino, Italy

Received: 29 December 2017 Accepted: 02 January 2018 Published: 04 January 2018

The last decades have seen an explosive increase in the development of nanoparticles and in their use in consumer, industrial and medical applications. Their fast diffusion has also raised widespread concern about the potential toxic effects on living organisms, including humans: at the nanoscale, they can interact with subcellular components such as membranes, proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, thus inducing unpredicted functional perturbations in cells and tissues. The nervous tissue is a particular sensitive target, because its cellular components (mainly neurons and glial cells) are tightly regulated and metabolically exigent biological entities. While the literature on the potential toxicity of nanoparticles has grown in parallel with their utilization, the available data on neurotoxicity are less abundant. In particular, information on the neuronal molecular targets of nanoparticles is still largely incomplete. A better understanding of this issue is highly relevant for the rational and controlled design of nanoparticles, both for their general utilization and more specifically for their use in the promising field of nanoneuromedicine. In this review, we will discuss the available information on the mechanisms involved in the interaction between nanoobjects and cells of the nervous system, focusing on the known molecular actors, both at the plasma membrane and in intracellular compartments.
- nanoparticles,
- neurons,
- toxicity,
- molecular targets,
- oxidative stress,
- membrane proteins
Citation: Davide Lovisolo, Marianna Dionisi, Federico A. Ruffinatti, Carla Distasi. Nanoparticles and potential neurotoxicity: focus on molecular mechanisms[J]. AIMS Molecular Science, 2018, 5(1): 1-13. doi: 10.3934/molsci.2018.1.1

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Abstract

The last decades have seen an explosive increase in the development of nanoparticles and in their use in consumer, industrial and medical applications. Their fast diffusion has also raised widespread concern about the potential toxic effects on living organisms, including humans: at the nanoscale, they can interact with subcellular components such as membranes, proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, thus inducing unpredicted functional perturbations in cells and tissues. The nervous tissue is a particular sensitive target, because its cellular components (mainly neurons and glial cells) are tightly regulated and metabolically exigent biological entities. While the literature on the potential toxicity of nanoparticles has grown in parallel with their utilization, the available data on neurotoxicity are less abundant. In particular, information on the neuronal molecular targets of nanoparticles is still largely incomplete. A better understanding of this issue is highly relevant for the rational and controlled design of nanoparticles, both for their general utilization and more specifically for their use in the promising field of nanoneuromedicine. In this review, we will discuss the available information on the mechanisms involved in the interaction between nanoobjects and cells of the nervous system, focusing on the known molecular actors, both at the plasma membrane and in intracellular compartments.

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