The Effect of Silver- and Gold Nanoparticles on the Retinal Immune System in Mice
(2017) MOBK01 20162Degree Projects in Molecular Biology
- Popular Abstract
- Are Nanoparticles Dangerous?
Nanoparticles are tiny, tiny objects. In fact, they are so small that it is impossible to see them with bare eyes but they are everywhere. We are exposed to these nanoparticles every day, whether we light a candle or walking down a trafficked street. A nanoparticle is 1-100 nm big and to put this is some perspective, the size of a nanoparticle is to a football as a football is to the earth. They have shown great physiochemical properties which make them very attractive for many industries.
Today nanoparticles are widely used in commercial and medical applications, e.g., they are found in many clothing textiles, cosmetics, sunscreen and in many household products we use daily, as well as they are used as... (More) - Are Nanoparticles Dangerous?
Nanoparticles are tiny, tiny objects. In fact, they are so small that it is impossible to see them with bare eyes but they are everywhere. We are exposed to these nanoparticles every day, whether we light a candle or walking down a trafficked street. A nanoparticle is 1-100 nm big and to put this is some perspective, the size of a nanoparticle is to a football as a football is to the earth. They have shown great physiochemical properties which make them very attractive for many industries.
Today nanoparticles are widely used in commercial and medical applications, e.g., they are found in many clothing textiles, cosmetics, sunscreen and in many household products we use daily, as well as they are used as disinfection of wounds and coating of medical devices and prosthesis. Nanoparticles have shown to be able to cross various barriers such as the blood brain barrier, blood retinal barrier as well as the placental barrier and enter the central nervous system. They have therefore gained much attention and much resources have been allocated to investigate their use in medical applications as potential drug carriers.
Considering the growing use of nanoparticles, especially within therapeutic approaches, there are not much literature on the potential adverse effects of nanoparticles. In recent years, more focus has been put on the biological safety evaluations, particularly in terms of neurotoxicity.
A previous study was carried out by the Englund Johansson laboratory and they investigated the toxic effect of two metallic nanoparticles, silver and gold using tissue culture of eyes from mice. They came to the result that these silver and gold nanoparticles caused an increase in a protein filament called Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). This is a typical hallmark of insult to the tissue and a raised immune response. Since the eye is very vulnerable and dysfunction often leads to visual loss, it is of importance to investigate the potential effects of nanoparticles.
In our study, we also looked at the effect of silver and gold nanoparticles, but in vivo, i.e., we used eyes that were treated with nanoparticles were cut into thin slices and provided to us for analysis using antibodies. Further analysis was carried out using microscopy and different computer software. Our obtained results were compatible with the findings of the previous study also suggesting that an increased immune response is given.
To conclude, our results motivate a carful use of metallic nanoparticles especially within therapeutic approaches in the nervous system.
Supervisor: Ulrica Englund-Johansson
Degree Project 15 credits in Molecular Biology, MOBK01 2016
Department of Biology, Lund University (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/8901718
@misc{8901718,
author = {{Do, Mandy}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{The Effect of Silver- and Gold Nanoparticles on the Retinal Immune System in Mice}},
year = {{2017}},
}