Engineered nanoparticles and the immune system: Interaction and consequences

Abstract

During the last two decades, engineered nanomaterial/nanoparticles have emerged in different fields of our daily life. In fact they are used for a variety of applications, such as colour pigments, solar cells, and waste water treatment. Furthermore, nanoparticles are found in consumer products that may be in contact with the human organism, e.g., food packaging, shampoos, sunscreens, toothpastes, and cigarettes. Thus, it is of great importance to evaluate how nanoparticles interact both with human beings and with the environment, considering that nanoparticles are assimilated as waste in the environment and introduced in the food chain. In assessing nanoparticle safety, their possible effects on immune responses are a major issue, since the immune system is deputed to defending and maintaining the integrity of the body, and its failure is the cause of damage and disease. This brief review will focus on the effects of nanoparticles on immunity, with a special focus on human health, but also include immunity of environmental species (such as marine and earth invertebrates) as a key tool in predicting environmental nanosafety.