Easing Concerns about Silica Nanoparticle Imaging Agents

In a study that relieves worries about the toxicity of nanoparticles being considered for use in medical imaging and biomedical research, scientists are reporting no significant toxic effects from testing of silica nanoparticles.

Drs. Min Wu and Julia Xiaojun Zhao and colleagues from the University of North Dakota (Grand Forks, USA) point out that they plan to use several kinds of nanomaterials that luminesce, or glow, in clinical medicine and biomedical studies. Those substances might, for instance, become a new generation of imaging agents that target the location of diseased tissue in the body. However, the question of whether these nanomaterials are toxic to living cells or organisms has not been fully answered, the researchers explained in the article.

The investigators utilized laboratory tests on human lung cells to show that luminescent silica nanoparticles did not damage cellular DNA. Our study indicates that the luminescent silica nanoparticle is a promising labeling reagent for various biomedical applications, the study concluded, citing the need for additional studies on potential long-term toxicity.

The study was published in the August 20, 2007, issue of the American Chemical Society's journal Chemical Research in Toxicology.


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