By selectively applying different coatings, scientists have discovered they can influence the toxicity of particles on mouse cell lines from the lung and immune system. These findings, published in Langmuir, build on previous work that showed surface coatings can influence toxicity to bacteria. "The coating can cause relatively higher toxicity or no toxicity to the strains of bacteria that were evaluated," said corresponding author Mitch Doktycz of Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Biosciences Division. This work is significant because it may be possible to tailor nanoparticle toxicity with simple coatings, and this may prove useful for treating infectious diseases. The paper also underscores the need for an improved fundamental understanding of nanoparticle characteristics and transformations that may occur in real environments. The paper is titled "Cytotoxicity Induced by Engineering Silver Nanocrystallites is Dependent on Surface Coatings and Cell Types."
Menu