USE OF NORMAL HUMAN 3D (NHU-3D) TISSUE MODELS (EPIDERM™, EPIAIRWAY™) FOR NANOTOXICOLOGY APPLICATIONS

Nanomaterials are increasingly utilized in numerous commercial applications where dermal contact, inhalation, or oral ingestion is likely. However, their toxicological properties are largely unknown. Potential adverse effects of nanoparticle exposure include allergenicity, cytotoxicity, and genotoxicity. Nanomaterials may enter the body by interacting with, and eventually crossing, epithelial barriers including skin, airway, and intestinal epithelium. Once inside the body, additional interactions with internal organs such the heart, liver, brain, kidney, and others, are possible. Therefore, there is an urgent need for animal alternative tissue models that can be utilized for toxicological evaluation of nanoparticle materials. This poster summarizes the use of in vitro NHu-3D skin (EpiDerm™, EpiDerm-FT™) and airway (EpiAirway) models for nanotoxicology applications. Notable applications to-date include use of: 1) the EpiDerm model to study potential health implications of cerium oxide nanoparticulates (SafePharm Laboratories, UK), 2) EpiDerm to investigate skin irritation/toxicity potential of nanosilica particles (Korea University College of Medicine), 3) the EpiDerm-FT skin model to evaluate skin penetration of quantum dot nanoparticles (Korea University College of Medicine), 4) EpiDerm-FT for investigations of single-walled carbon nanotubes (NIOSH, USA), 5) EpiDerm-FT to investigate the effect of nanoparticle formulations on wound healing (Free Universitat Berlin) and 6) the EpiAirway™ model for in vitro determination of nanoparticle translocation through airway epithelium (Procter and Gamble, US). These studies demonstrate that in vitro NHu-3D models are useful tools for the study of potential toxic effects resulting from nanoparticle interactions with epithelial tissues.

Comet assay, EpiAirway, EpiAirwayFT, EpiDerm, EpiDermFT, Nanomaterials, Nanoparticles, Nanotoxicology, Penetration

Cerium oxide, Fluorescently labeled Nanoparticles, Fullerenes C60 (Fn-60), Min-U-SIL-5, Nanosilica, Quantum dots, Single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNT), Ultra fine titanium oxide (UF-TiO2)