Toxicity Evaluation

Nanoparticles, which are typically defined as particles with dimensions in the nanoscale (1 to 100 nanometers), possess a range of unique properties, including tiny size, high surface area to volume ratio, and high chemical reactivity, which increase the probability of their cell uptake and interactions with biomolecules and tissues. Therefore, nanoparticles are increasingly being explored for biomedical applications, such as molecular imaging and cell therapy, tissue engineering, biosensing, drug delivery, wound healing, gene therapy, and anti-bacterial treatments. The evaluation of nanoparticle toxicity is crucial for their safe and effective use in biomedical applications.

The principal types of toxicity associated with nanoparticles include:

• Cytotoxicity: Refers to the harmful effects that nanoparticles can exert on cellular structures and functions, potentially leading to cell death.
• Genotoxicity: Involves the potential of nanoparticles to cause DNA damage and mutations, which can lead to carcinogenesis.
• Immunotoxicity: Encompasses the adverse effects on the immune system, which may result in altered immune responses or increased susceptibility to infections.

The toxicity of nanoparticles is largely determined by their physical and chemical characteristics, such as such as size, shape, agglomeration state, coatings, functionalization, surface charge, structure, material type, dose, and concentration.

What We Can Do for You

• Analysis of Nanoparticles’ Toxicity Mechanism
  STEMart helps researchers to understand the toxicity mechanism of nanoparticles to facilitate the design of nanoparticles with lower side effects.
  • Cellular uptake and accumulation
    Entry to the cell and interact with intracellular components like lipids, nucleic acids, and proteins
  • Oxidative stress
    Induce production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which damages cellular components such as lipids, proteins, and DNA.
  • Inflammatory response
    Provoke an immune response, leading to inflammation.

• Evaluation of Nanoparticles Toxicity
  • Cytotoxicity assessment
    MTT, MTS, WST-1, LDH release assays, and apoptosis assays to determine cell viability.
  • Immunotoxicity assessment
    Measurement of inflammatory biomarkers, such as IL-8, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor, using ELISA.
  • Genotoxicity assessment
    Comet assay, Ames test, and micronucleus assay to investigate potential DNA damage caused by nanoparticles.

For more information about our nanoparticles toxicity evaluation service, please contact us.