title: Nanoparticles in food. Epigenetic changes induced by nanomaterials and possible impact on health.
abstract: Disturbed epigenetic mechanisms, which developmentally regulate gene expression via modifications to DNA, histone proteins, and chromatin, have been hypothesized to play a key role in many human diseases. Recently it was shown that engineered nanoparticles (NPs), that already have a wide range of applications in various fields including food production, could dramatically affect epigenetic processes, while their ability to induce diseases remains poorly understood. Besides the obvious benefits of the new technologies, it is critical to assess their health effects before proceeding with industrial production. In this article, after surveying the applications of NPs in food technology, we review recent advances in the understanding of epigenetic pathological effects of NPs, and discuss their possible health impact with the aim of avoiding potential health risks posed by the use of nanomaterials in foods and food-packaging.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, Cancer Research Institute of Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia.
authors.forename: Bozena
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Smolkova
authors.affiliation: Health Effects Laboratory, Department of Environmental Chemistry (MILK), NILU- Norwegian Institute for Air Research, 2027 Kjeller, Norway; Department of Nutrition, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Naouale
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: El Yamani
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Andrew R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Collins
authors.affiliation: Environmental Research and Innovation Department, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), Luxembourg, Luxembourg.
authors.forename: Arno C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Gutleb
authors.affiliation: Health Effects Laboratory, Department of Environmental Chemistry (MILK), NILU- Norwegian Institute for Air Research, 2027 Kjeller, Norway. Electronic address: mdu@nilu.no.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dusinska
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003257:Consumer Product Safety / Q000592:standards; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic / Q000187:drug effects*; D005503:Food Additives / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity; D005504:Food Analysis; D018857:Food Packaging; D059022:Food Safety; D005524:Food Technology; D006801:Humans; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity*; D018570:Risk Assessment
chemical_list: D005503:Food Additives
keywords: Epigenetic effects; Impact on health; Nanomaterials in food; Nanoparticles; Risk assessment