Nanomaterials and Cell Interactions: A Review

Nanotoxicology, a branch of bionanoscience focuses on the study of the hazardous interactions between nanomaterials and the ecosystem and ascertaining its consequent implications. Nanomaterial-cell interactions are dependent on numerous factors such as size, shape, type and surface coatings/charge of nanomaterials. These factors in association with cell membrane factors such as charge and formation of the protein corona influence the uptake and internalization of these particles leading to their potential toxicity. Understanding the different routes of exposure, their transport, behaviour and eventual fate is also of importance. Toxicities that occur to the living systems are consequences of various causes/dysfunctions such as ROS production, loss of membrane integrity, releases of toxic metal ions that bind with specific cell receptors and undergo certain conformations that inhibit normal cell function resulting in cytotoxicity, genotoxicity and possible cell necrosis. This paper attempts to review the available research pertaining to nanomaterial-cell interactions and their potential toxicity.