The use of nanomaterials has been increasing in recent times, and they are widely used in industries such as cosmetics, drugs, food, water treatment, and agriculture. The rapid development of new nanomaterials demands a set of approaches to evaluate the potential toxicity and risks related to them. In this regard, nanosafety has been using and adapting already existing methods (toxicological approach), but the unique characteristics of nanomaterials demand new approaches (nanotoxicology) to fully understand the potential toxicity, immunotoxicity, and (epi)genotoxicity. In addition, new technologies, such as organs-on-chips and sophisticated sensors, are under development and/or adaptation. All the information generated is used to develop new in silico approaches trying to predict the potential effects of newly developed materials. The overall evaluation of nanomaterials from their production to their final disposal chain is completed using the life cycle assessment (LCA), which is becoming an important element of nanosafety considering sustainability and environmental impact. In this review, we give an overview of all these elements of nanosafety.
Chronic skin exposure to nanoparticles (NPs) from air pollution, cosmetics, tattoo inks, and smart textiles is linked to adverse effects such as accelerated aging, dermatitis, eczema, and increased melanoma risk. However, the limited predictive power and physiological relevance of conventional in vitro models, combined with the absence of standardized protocols for assessing NP toxicity, remain a major challenge. To address these limitations, the development of skin‐on‐chip (SoC) systems provides a more physiologically relevant solution, surpassing the constraints of static skin cultures. Here, a novel SoC model with dynamic perfusion and a modular architecture suitable for epidermis‐only (EoC) and full‐thickness (FT) skin models isdeveloped. Under dynamic conditions, both models are metabolically active, exhibit enhanced barrier function, and display a morphology resembling native human skin. Exposure to titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) NPs led to a 32.4% decrease in barrier integrity, a 12.1% reduction in metabolic activity, a 2.9% increase in permeability, and histological evidence of tissue damage. These alterations are associated with an early moderate inflammatory response, as indicated by the upregulation of chemokines. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that the microfluidic device functions as a versatile toxicological tool, with the biological complexity of the FT SoC enhancing its sensitivity for nanotoxicology studies.
The use of nanomaterials has been increasing in recent times, and they are widely used in industries such as cosmetics, drug, food, water treatment and agriculture. The rapid development of new nanomaterials demands a set of approaches to evaluate the potential toxicity and risks related to them. In this regard, nanosafety has been using and adapting already existing methods (toxicological approach), but the unique characteristics of nanomaterials demand new approaches (nanotoxicology) to fully understand the potential toxicity, immunotoxicity and (epi)genotoxicity. Also, new technologies, such as organ-on-chip and sophisticated sensors, are under development and/or adaptation. All the information generated is used to develop new in silico approaches trying to predict the potential effects of newly developed materials. The overall evaluation of how from the production to final disposition chain of nanomaterials is evaluated under Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), which is becoming an important element of nanosafety considering sustainability and environmental impact. In this review we give an overview of all these elements of nanosafety.