Improving Quality in Nanoparticle-Induced Cytotoxicity Testing by a Tiered Inter-Laboratory Comparison Study.

The quality and relevance of nanosafety studies constitute major challenges to ensure their key role as a supporting tool in sustainable innovation, and subsequent competitive economic advantage. However, the number of apparently contradictory and inconclusive research results has increased in the past few years, indicating the need to introduce harmonized protocols and good practices in the nanosafety research community. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate if best-practice training and inter-laboratory comparison (ILC) of performance of the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium (MTS) assay for the cytotoxicity assessment of nanomaterials among 15 European laboratories can improve quality in nanosafety testing.

Microscopy-based high-throughput assays enable multi-parametric analysis to assess adverse effects of nanomaterials in various cell lines.

Manufactured nanomaterials (MNMs) selected from a library of over 120 different MNMs with varied compositions, sizes, and surface coatings were tested by four different laboratories for toxicity by high-throughput/-content (HT/C) techniques. The selected particles comprise 14 MNMs composed of CeO, Ag, TiO, ZnO and SiO with different coatings and surface characteristics at varying concentrations. The MNMs were tested in different mammalian cell lines at concentrations between 0.

Identification of Receptor Binding to the Biomolecular Corona of Nanoparticles.

Biomolecules adsorbed on nanoparticles are known to confer a biological identity to nanoparticles, mediating the interactions with cells and biological barriers. However, how these molecules are presented on the particle surface in biological milieu remains unclear. The central aim of this study is to identify key protein recognition motifs and link them to specific cell-receptor interactions.

Ultrasmall inorganic nanoparticles: State-of-the-art and perspectives for biomedical applications.

Ultrasmall nanoparticulate materials with core sizes in the 1-3nm range bridge the gap between single molecules and classical, larger-sized nanomaterials, not only in terms of spatial dimension, but also as regards physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties. Due to these unique properties, ultrasmall nanoparticles appear to be promising materials for nanomedicinal applications. This review overviews the different synthetic methods of inorganic ultrasmall nanoparticles as well as their properties, characterization, surface modification and toxicity.

Tuning of nanoparticle biological functionality through controlled surface chemistry and characterisation at the bioconjugated nanoparticle surface.

We have used a silica - PEG based bionanoconjugate synthetic scheme to study the subtle connection between cell receptor specific recognition and architecture of surface functionalization chemistry. Extensive physicochemical characterization of the grafted architecture is capable of capturing significant levels of detail of both the linker and grafted organization, allowing for improved reproducibility and ultimately insight into biological functionality. Our data suggest that scaffold details, propagating PEG layer architecture effects, determine not only the rate of uptake of conjugated nanoparticles into cells but also, more significantly, the specificity of pathways via which uptake occurs.

Through-space transfer of chiral information mediated by a plasmonic nanomaterial.

The ability to detect chirality gives stereochemically attuned nanosensors the potential to revolutionize the study of biomolecular processes. Such devices may structurally characterize the mechanisms of protein-ligand binding, the intermediates of amyloidogenic diseases and the effects of phosphorylation and glycosylation. We demonstrate that single nanoparticle plasmonic reporters, or nanotags, can enable a stereochemical response to be transmitted from a chiral analyte to an achiral benzotriazole dye molecule in the vicinity of a plasmon resonance from an achiral metallic nanostructure.

Comprehensive In Vitro Toxicity Testing of a Panel of Representative Oxide Nanomaterials: First Steps towards an Intelligent Testing Strategy.

Nanomaterials (NMs) display many unique and useful physico-chemical properties. However, reliable approaches are needed for risk assessment of NMs. The present study was performed in the FP7-MARINA project, with the objective to identify and evaluate in vitro test methods for toxicity assessment in order to facilitate the development of an intelligent testing strategy (ITS).

Rationally designed SERS active silica coated silver nanoparticles.

A reproducible method for the successful silica coating of silver nanoparticles is reported. A selection of tri-functional reporter molecules were designed to allow controlled synthesis of silica shelled, dye coded, SERS active silver nanoparticles.