Assessing the impact of engineered nanoparticles on wound healing using a novel in vitro bioassay.
OBJECTIVE
As engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) increasingly enter consumer products, humans become increasingly exposed. The first line of defense against ENPs is the epithelium, the integrity of which can be compromised by wounds induced by trauma, infection, or surgery, but the implications of ENPs on wound healing are poorly understood.


METHODS
Herein, we developed an in vitro assay to assess the impact of ENPs on the wound healing of cells from human cornea.


CONCLUSIONS
We show that industrially relevant ENPs impeded wound healing and cellular migration in a manner dependent on the composition, dose and size of the ENPs as well as cell type. CuO and ZnO ENPs impeded both viability and wound healing for both fibroblasts and epithelial cells. Carboxylated polystyrene ENPs retarded wound healing of corneal fibroblasts without affecting viability.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results highlight the impact of ENPs on cellular wound healing and provide useful tools for studying the physiological impact of ENPs.
Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Enhua H
EH
Zhou
Christa
C
Watson
Richard
R
Pizzo
Joel
J
Cohen
Quynh
Q
Dang
Pedro Macul
PM
Ferreira de Barros
Chan Young
CY
Park
Cheng
C
Chen
Joseph D
JD
Brain
James P
JP
Butler
Jeffrey W
JW
Ruberti
Jeffrey J
JJ
Fredberg
Philip
P
Demokritou
D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D003300:Copper / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000633:toxicity; D003315:Cornea / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000187:drug effects; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000633:toxicity; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000187:drug effects*; D015034:Zinc Oxide / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000633:toxicity
D003300:Copper; D015034:Zinc Oxide; C030973:cupric oxide
corneal wound healing; engineered nanoparticles; high-throughput screening; nano-EHS; nanotechnology; nanotoxicology