Nutrition to ward off nanoparticle toxicity

Nanotechnology has rapidly entered our lives, promising to revolutionise health care and consumer products. The unique physicochemical properties of nanoparticles make them ideal for numerous applications.

Experimental evidence indicates that nanoparticles cause cytotoxicity, oxidative stress, genotoxicity and inflammatory responses, all of which could lead to cardiovascular diseases. However, no protective measures against nanoparticle-mediated injury have been proposed.

Seeking to address this, the EU-funded NANOMEGA project investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying silver nanoparticle and titanium dioxide toxicity. The focus of the study was on oxidative stress and its role in activating signal pathways associated with DNA damage and repair. In addition, the consortium explored the impact of nutrition and especially a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids as a protective measure against nanoparticle toxicity.

NANOMEGA fellow observed that silver nanoparticles upregulated reactive oxygen species (ROS) within cells, a major contributor to oxidative stress. The capacity of nanoparticles to bind metals coupled to their surface chemistry could directly induce the formation of ROS. Alternatively, nanoparticles could be causing toxicity by interfering with the function of the ROS-producing NADPH-oxidases. With respect to DNA damage, experiments helped identify which molecules are central for repair following nanoparticle toxicity.

The key finding of the NANOMEGA study was the discovery that the addition of the DHA fatty acid significantly reduced nanoparticle-induced DNA damage. This was achieved by increasing the expression of DNA repair enzymes and hence improving the overall viability.

Taken together, NANOMEGA findings portray a picture of the toxicity mechanism caused by nanoparticles. Most importantly, for the first time interventions were proposed to minimise side-effects and nanotechnology safety has been improved.