NSF 15-022 Fate of aerosolized Nanoparticles: The influence of surface active substances on lung deposition and respiratory effects (NANOaers)

Harvard University, Cambridge MA

Investigators

Abstract

Brain, Joseph 1530767 Nanotechnology has expanded dramatically during the past decades. While maximizing benefits, there is also a need to minimize risks of nanotechnology. One of the current major research areas in nanotechnology is to optimize novel properties of nanomaterials to improve quality of life. The PIs will study examples of public and workplace exposures to nanoparticles specifically those containing either silver (Ag) or cerium (Ce). Both are inexpensive and produced in large quantities. Silver-containing nanoparticles are used in medical supplies, cosmetics and textiles for their ability to kill microorganisms. Nanoparticles containing cerium oxide are used to polish glass mirrors, computer chips, and ophthalmic lenses. The PIs seek to develop techniques to explain nanoparticle behavior and control human exposures during production, use, and disposal of these products. An important feature of this proposal is that it involves researchers from the United States in an international consortium that includes Germany, Romania, Austria, and Spain. As a result the PIs will better understand how that affects the phospholipids and proteins that bind to particle surfaces and how that influences their ultimate fate and biological effects. The PIs will characterize human exposures to novel nanoparticles. The research project will use models and exposure scenarios to elucidate the mechanisms underlying inhalation of nanoparticles. The project will involve exploration of where inhaled nanoparticles deposit, how fast they migrate from lungs, and to what extent they cross the air-blood barrier and thus have access to other organs. A key issue is particle interactions since mixtures are commonplace. Nanoparticle exposures are is often combined with particles that are larger and with a variety of chemicals and vapors. This project will explore what happens to particles after they deposit deep in the lungs. The PIs will measure how the size, morphology, and surface composition of nanoparticles determine the specific proteins and phospholipids that bind to their surface. In turn, this binding activity will determine the fate of and biologic responses to nanoparticles. The research objective is to integrate these data to better predict risks from nanomaterials for humans or the environment.