Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
magnetic.nanoparticles,.carbon.nanotubes,.nanowires,.and.nanocantilevers,.have.already.
been. applied. in. nanobiotechnology.. Biomedical. applications,. diagnostics. or. therapeutics.
may.be.of.primary.interest,.but.intended.exposures.of.nanoparticles.in.these.areas.might.
lead.to.unintended.toxic.side.effects..At.present,.the.knowledge.of.potential.implications.
of. nanomaterials. is. currently. lagging. behind. in. their. development. and. application. in.
nanobiotechnology..Nano-safety,.the.object.of.nanotoxicology,.will.lay.a.irm.foundation.
for.the.sustainable.development.of.nanobiotechnology.
It.is.not.the.purpose.of.this.chapter.to.directly.cover.all.issues.for.safety.evaluation.of.
nanomaterials..Here,.we.will.only.review.the.studies.on.the.elucidation.of.potential.and.
impact.of.nanotoxicity.associated.with.nanomaterials.in.nanobiotechnology.
27.2 Physicochemical Characteristics of Nanoparticles
Determine Their Toxic Potential
In. conventional. toxicology,. the. safety. evaluation. of. bulk. materials. can. be. approximately.
determined. by. only. three. factors,. including. dose,. chemical. composition,. and. exposure.
route..However,.many.factors,.especially.the.physicochemical.characteristics.of.nanoparti-
cles,.should.be.considered.when.we.do.the.same.work..This.makes.nanotoxicity.much.more.
complex.and.dificult.than.conventional.toxicology..Those.physicochemical.characteristics.
of.nanoparticles.that.dominate.the.biological.effects.are.summarized.in.Table.27.1..From.its.
introduction,.signiicant.concerns.regarding.nanotoxicology.have.led.to.ongoing.research.
of. nanoparticle. features. that. could. potentially. cause. adverse. effects. to. human. health. or.
the.ecosystem..If.these.features.can.be.identiied.early,.then.material.engineers.can.design.
products.to.avoid.or.minimize.risk..In.the.meantime,.scientists.in.nanobiotechnology.might.
actively. seek. special. features. of. nanomaterials. to. enlarge. their. applications,. such. as. for.
enhanced.drug.penetration.into.“tough.tissues”.such.as.the.brain,.eyes,.or.embryo.
TABLe 27.1
Comparison.of.the.Physicochemical.Characters.That.Dominate.the.
Toxic.Responses.of.Nanomaterials.and.the.Bulk.Materials
Bulk Material or Nanomaterials
Nanomaterials
Chemical.composition
Nanostructure/shape/internal.structure
Particle.concentration
Particle.size/distribution
Reactivity
Particle.number
Conductivity
Aggregation/agglomeration
Morphology.(crystalline,.
amorphous,.shape,.etc.)
Degree.and.state.of.dispersion
Zeta.potential
Physical.form.(solid,.aerosol,.
suspension,.liquid,.etc.)
Surface.area
Surface.charge
Purity/impurities
Surface.coating.and.chemistry
Surface.modiication
Surface.structure
Solubility
Surface.adsorbability
Self-assembly
…
