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Toxicity of metal-based nanoparticles: Challenges in the nano era
Summary
This review covers the toxic effects of metal-based nanoparticles on human health, including how they cause oxidative stress, inflammation, DNA damage, and organ dysfunction. While focused on engineered nanoparticles rather than microplastics directly, the toxicity pathways described overlap significantly with those triggered by nanoplastic exposure. Understanding these shared mechanisms helps explain how nano-scale particles of any kind, including nanoplastics, may harm the body.
With the rapid progress of nanotechnology, various nanoparticles (NPs) have been applicated in our daily life. In the field of nanotechnology, metal-based NPs are an important component of engineered NPs, including metal and metal oxide NPs, with a variety of biomedical applications. However, the unique physicochemical properties of metal-based NPs confer not only promising biological effects but also pose unexpected toxic threats to human body at the same time. For safer application of metal-based NPs in humans, we should have a comprehensive understanding of NP toxicity. In this review, we summarize our current knowledge about metal-based NPs, including the physicochemical properties affecting their toxicity, mechanisms of their toxicity, their toxicological assessment, the potential strategies to mitigate their toxicity and current status of regulatory movement on their toxicity. Hopefully, in the near future, through the convergence of related disciplines, the development of nanotoxicity research will be significantly promoted, thereby making the application of metal-based NPs in humans much safer.
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