Nanotoxicology and nanovaccines

Toxicity elicited by nanoparticles has been extensively studied, especially for those nanomaterials designed for human use. Safety concerns with nanomedicines have led to a better understanding of the molecular and cellular events that occur when nanoparticles enter biological systems. The key adverse effects include oxidative stress, inflammatory reactions, and genotoxicity. There are now a number of clinical trials using various nanoparticle formulations that show trends in the type and severity of unwanted effects that might be expected with nanomedicines. One of the major concern is the propensity for nanoparticles to activate the immune system, resulting in minor side effects such as local inflammation and more serious side effects including complement activation-related pseudoallergy to life-threatening side effects such as hypercytokinemia. Many adverse effects are observed in only a subgroup of patients, which raises the important question of how these individuals may be identified before treatment. For nanovaccines there is the potential of guiding the development of new treatments by understanding how adverse effects are elicited and how they may be avoided