Nanoparticle Toxicity Mechanisms: Genotoxicity

Abstract

Despite the relatively small amount of convincing experimental data, the potentially genotoxic nature of certain nanoparticles seems plausible, owing in particular to the presence of reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as the superoxide anion O 2 ∙ − , the hydroxyl radical ∙ OH, and singlet oxygen 1 O 2 , and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) such as nitrogen monoxide NO, the peroxynitrite anion ONOO − , the peroxynitrite radical ONOO ∙ , and dinitrogen trioxide N 2 O 3 , a powerful nitration agent.