Nanoparticles can cause DNA damage across a cellular barrier, new study says
Medically used nanoparticles can damage the DNA of cells without crossing cellular barriers in the body, claims a new study published in Nature Nanotechnology. The study on cells grown in culture, conducted by a team at the University of Bristol, suggests that the indirect effects of nanoparticles on cells should be considered when evaluating their safety.
Nanoparticles are developed for various drug delivery and imaging applications. Their intended targets include a number of organs normally protected by specialised barriers — such as the blood-brain barrier.
Patrick Case and colleagues explored the concerns about nanoparticles' ability to infiltrate past such barriers by comparing the effects of direct and indirect exposure of cells to nanoparticles.
The scientists grew a multilayer of human cells in the lab to mimic a specialised protective barrier. They used this barrier to examine the indirect effects of cobalt-chromium nanoparticles — which are generated from wear and tear of bone implants — on the cells that were lying behind this barrier.
The researchers believe the study showed that amount of DNA damage in the cells behind the protective barrier was similar to the DNA damage caused by direct exposure to the nanoparticles.
