The interaction of biological systems with the nanoparticles (NPs) has dramatically increased in the last decades due to the introduction of NPs in industrial products, in medical procedures (for diagnostics, drug delivery, or as by-products of surgical implants) and in the environment. NPs can reach body organs by traveling within the circulatory system of the host, after crossing the body’s physiological barriers (dermal, blood-brain, respiratory, and digestive barriers).
The interactions between living cells and NPs have been the object of considerable interest in the last few years, but many aspects of this interaction are still unclear. NPs toxicity cannot be defined by a “one fits all” criteria. The interaction between NPs and cells is much more complex than in the case of molecules, as a large number of physicochemical parameters influence it. Our research aims to unveil the molecular mechanisms underlying the NP incorporation and the NP-induced cell transformation.
Related publications:
Vitali, A., Demichelis, M.P., Di Martino, G., Postuma, I., Bortolussi, S., Falqui, A., Milanese, C., Ferrara, C., Sommi, P. and Anselmi-Tamburini, U., . Synthesis and Characterization of Gd-Functionalized B4C Nanoparticles for BNCT Applications. Life, 13(2), p.429, (2023)
Pellavio, G., Sommi, P., Anselmi-Tamburini, U., DeMichelis, M.P., Coniglio, S. and Laforenza, U., Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles Regulate Oxidative Stress in HeLa Cells by Increasing the Aquaporin-Mediated Hydrogen Peroxide Permeability. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23(18), p.1083, (2022)
Sommi, P., Vitali, A., Coniglio, S., Callegari, D., Barbieri, S., Casu, A., Falqui, A., Vigano’, L., Vigani, B., Ferrari, F. and Anselmi-Tamburini, U., Microvilli adhesion: an alternative route for nanoparticle cell internalization. ACS nano, 15(10), pp.15803-15814, (2021)
D.Ferraro, I.G. Tredici, P.Ghigna, H.Castillio-Michel, A.Falqui, C.Di Benedetto, G.Alberti, V.Ricci, U.Anselmi-Tamburini, P.Sommi, “Dependence of the Ce (III)/Ce (IV) ratio on intracellular localization in ceria nanoparticles internalized by human cells”, Nanoscale 9(4), 1527-1538 (2017).
D.Ferraro, U.Anselmi-Tamburini, I.G.Tredici, V.Ricci, P.Sommi, “Overestimation of nanoparticle-induced DNA damage determined by the comet assay”, Nanotoxicology, 10(7), 861-870 (2016).
P. Sommi, A. Oldani, F. Maglia, V. Chiozzi, I.G. Tredici, V. Ricci, and U. Anselmi-Tamburini, “Cell-assisted deposition of inorganic coatings.,” J. Am. Ceram. Soc., 94 [11] 3706–3710 (2011).