Research of an Iron Oxide Nanoparticles and Potential Application

The iron oxide nanoparticles (FeNPs) are widely used in biomedicine for good biocompatibility. To promote its safe application, any potential nanotoxicity should be thoroughly and carefully investigated. This paper systematically summarizes our lab’s research on the nanotoxicity of iron oxide nanoparticles coated with dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA), including the effects of FeNPs on viability, apoptosis, cycle, and oxidative stress at cell level. In vitro studies revealed that the FeNPs showed obvious apoptosis of human acute monocyte cells (THP-1) and human hepatoma cells (HepG2) at the highest concentration. FeNPs resulted in common and cell typespecific nanotoxicities of the FeNPs to both human and mouse cells at the gene, disturbed cell’s iron and osmosis homeostasis by the internalization of FeNPs through releasing iron ion in cells, resulted in cytotoxicity of DMSA as coating molecules of FeNPs and the inhibitor of DNA binding/differentiation (Id) related nanotoxicity of FeNPs at gene level. The studies of our lab shed many new insights into the nanotoxicity of the nanoparticle. Furthermore, the toxicity may play more value if it is guided and applied reasonably, such as iron supplement, anti-oxidation, and immunotherapy.