Toxicity Evaluation for accumulation of nanoparticles in biological system

Abstract

Recent years have seen an unprecedented growth in the field of nanotechnology. The application of nanotechnology has risen and now has become a technical necessity in almost every technical field be it medical, therapeutic, cosmetics, agriculture, forensic, defence and many more still to come. Nanotechnology in pharmaceutical application typically involves encapsulation of any drug in “Nano” sized carrier ranging from metallic, polymeric, quantum dots, silicon based, polymeric micelles, liposomes and others in its configuration, which are prepared by various methods such as ionic gelation, solvent evaporation, emulsion polymerization, interfacial polymerisation, interfacial polycondenstaion etc. Polymeric substances have been employed for the synthesis of nanocapsules, nanotubules, dendrimers, nano emulsions, hydrogels and several other types. For the potential use in therapeutic interventions, nanoparticles need to cross various biological barriers, depending on the disease target, where they release their therapeutic (drug/ compound) molecule at the specific site of action. Although the drug carries out its activity, the nanoparticle carrier is still present and possess harmful or toxic effects as they accumulate in the body which is facilitated by their characteristic small size. Lungs, skin, GI tract, brain, blood all have been shown to have severely affected by nanoparticles. The toxic effect is on the basis on type of nanoparticles used. Inflammation, haemolysis, oxidative stress and many others are some typical consequences of nano particles. Our study focusses on other side of using nanotechnology that is their harmful effects on human body.