Experimental considerations on the cytotoxicity of nanoparticles

Engineered nanoparticles are one of the leading nanomaterials currently under investigation due to their applicability in various fields, including drug and gene delivery, biosensors, cancer treatment and diagnostic tools. Moreover, the number of commercial products containing nanoparticles released on the market is rapidly increasing. Nanoparticles are already widely distributed in air, cosmetics, medicines and even in food. Therefore, the unintended adverse effect of nanoparticle exposure is a growing concern both academically and socially. In this context, the toxicity of nanoparticles has been extensively studied; however, several challenges are encountered due to the lack of standardized protocols. In order to improve the experimental conditions of nanoparticle toxicity studies, serious consideration is critical to obtain reliable and realistic data. The cell type must be selected considering the introduction route and target organ of the nanoparticle. In addition, the nanoparticle dose must reflect the realistic concentration of nanoparticles and must be loaded as a well-dispersed form to observe the accurate size- and shape-dependent effect. In deciding the cytotoxicity assay method, it is important to choose the appropriate method that could measure the toxicity of interest without the false-negative or -positive misinterpretation of the toxicity result.