Role of nanogenotoxicology studies in safety evaluation of nanomaterials

Nanomaterials (NMs) are defined as materials containing particles where one or more external dimensions are in the size range of 1 100 nm. Many different NMs, alone or in combination,in the form of fibers, tubes, or particles have been already proposed for innovative diagnostic, drug delivery platforms and nanostructured matrices for tissue engineering applications. Presently, the diversity of NMs that are being used, or explored as candidates, for tissue engineering can be classified into different groups (polymers, ceramics,carbon nanotubes [CNTs], metals and composites), depending on their chemical composition. This chapter describes the importance of genotoxicity evaluation to warrant the safety of these innovative NMs, with particular emphasis on the most prominent testing strategies that must consider and incorporate the specific physicochemical characteristics of the nanosized materials into toxicological research.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, Portugal, EXCL/CTM-NAN/ 0166/2012 and PEst-OE/SAU/UI0009/2011), NANOGENOTOX (EU Grant Agreement 2009 21 01) and NANoREG (FP7, NMP.2012.1.3-3, contract no. 310584