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Pathways of exposure to nanoparticles and associated diseases as suggested by epidemiological, in vivo and in vitro studies. The extremely small size of nanomaterials also means that they much more readily gain entry into the human body than larger sized particles.
Inorganic nanomaterial can also be toxic to the human body if it accumulates in certain cell organelles. [10] New research is being conducted to invent more effective, safer nanocarriers. Protein based nanocarriers show promise for use therapeutically since they occur naturally, and generally demonstrate less cytotoxicity than synthetic molecules.
The behavior of nanoparticles is a function of their size, shape and surface reactivity with the surrounding tissue. For example, they could cause overload on phagocytes, cells that ingest and destroy foreign matter, thereby triggering stress reactions that lead to inflammation and weaken the body's defense against other pathogens.
The monocytes engulfed the nanoparticles and the cells as well as the nanoparticles are then sent to the spleen for elimination in the body. [3] Because the elimination of these particles can happen so fast, researchers were able to inject mice once more two to three days later to combat inflammation that might come back slowly after injury.
Once injected into the patient's body, the albumin nanoparticles can cross the BBB more easily, bind to the proteins and penetrate glioma cells, and then release the contained drugs. This nanoparticle formulation enhances tumor-targeting delivery efficiency and improves the solubility issue of hydrophobic drugs. [18]
However, the biodistribution of these nanoparticles is still imperfect due to the complex host's reactions to nano- and microsized materials [23] and the difficulty in targeting specific organs in the body. Nevertheless, a lot of work is still ongoing to optimize and better understand the potential and limitations of nanoparticulate systems.
For example, nanobiotechnologies may have hard to control effects on the environment or ecosystems and human health. The metal-based nanoparticles used for biomedical prospectives are extremely enticing in various applications due to their distinctive physicochemical characteristics, allowing them to influence cellular processes at the ...
Each material has uniquely tunable properties and thus can be selectively designed for specific applications. Despite the many advantages of nanoparticles, there are also many challenges, including but not exclusive to: nanotoxicity, biodistribution and accumulation, and the clearance of nanoparticles by human body.