NanoCytox · Development of Novel Analytical Methods to assess Nanoparticle cytotoxicity

Development of Novel Analytical Methods to assess Nanoparticle cytotoxicity

In the last decades, biomedical and numerous commercial applications using nanoparticles (NPs) with a size range of 1 to 100 nm have been established due to their unique chemical reactivity and physical properties. However, there are serious concern regarding exposure, distribution and accumulation of NPs in organisms and environment. In particular, the impact of NPs on cells is a key question in biomedical applications as well as in nanotoxicology and numerous analytical methods have been applied to understand the extent and mode of cell-NP interactions. However, such methodologies are still in its infancy to resolve cell-associated NPs uptake and the analysis of NPs at single cell level remains a challenge. So far, the mechanisms of cell-NPs interactions are not well understood yet and the development and validation of new reliable methods that enable the analysis and identification of NPs at single cell level providing information of the number of NPs internalized by cells or externally bound to the cell surface are urgently required. The NanoCytox project has the main aim to develop analytical methodologies based on inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, ICP-MS, to evaluate the quantitative uptake and biological interaction of NPs with individual cells. The following methodologies have been evaluated here: A. Micro-droplet generator (µDG) for sample introduction of single cells into a quadrupole and/or into a sector field ICP-MS working in single particle mode, (sp)-ICP MS; B. Mass Cytometry, CyTOF (ICP-TOF MS). This method was originally not described in the NanoCytox project, but during our investigation we found out that it is the most promising one. It should be mentioned that these investigations were performed at the “Deutsche Rheuma Forschungs-Institute” at the Charité who is the owner of such an instrument. C. Pneumatic nebulization coupled to a quadrupole and/or sector field ICP MS working in a time resolved single particle mode, in the so-called single cell mode, SC-ICP MS. This method was also originally not described in the NanoCytox project, but during our investigation we found out it also promising. D. Laser ablation (LA) coupled to ICP-MS for spatially resolved bioimaging of the distribution of NPs in single cells upon different NPs incubation experiments.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union