New testing finds synergistic combination leads to toxicity in nanomaterial

A new study finds reason for caution -- a clear emergence of toxicity -- in nanomaterial product formulations, but it also provides an early testing technique that could help the industry continue to move forward. the researchers re-examined the toxicity of nanoparticles that had been studied as part of the Safer Nanomaterials and Nanomanufacturing Initiative, which was funded by the Air Force Research Laboratory.

The National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health supported the recent work. The cause of the synergistic toxicity was discovered when materials were analyzed with diffusion-ordered NMR spectroscopy, an adaptation of nuclear magnetic resonance that reveals how particles move, or diffuse, in solution.

As increasing amounts of surfactants were added, the researchers observed that the particles diffused more slowly because the surfactant assembles on the outside of the gold nanoparticles, leading to both increased uptake and toxicity, driven by surface structure, in the zebrafish. The technique harnesses molecular design principles to produce safer chemicals, reduce toxicity and minimize waste. And anticipating your research at International Conference on Nanomedicine and Nanotechnology in Health Care will pays you unforgettable experience while attending the at Istanbul, Turkey.