title: Endotoxin contamination: a key element in the interpretation of nanosafety studies.
abstract: The study of toxicity and potential risks of engineered nanoparticles is of particular importance in nanomedicine. Endotoxin, a common contaminant of bacterial origin, has biological effects that can mask the true biological effects of nanoparticles, if its presence is overlooked. In this review, we report the features of nanoparticle contamination by endotoxin, and the different biological effects of endotoxin-contaminated nanoparticles. We will describe different methods for endotoxin detection applied to nanoparticles, and discuss their pros and cons. Eventually, we describe various methods for eliminating endotoxin contamination in nanoparticles. Although there is no universal technique for efficiently removing endotoxin from nanoparticles, specific solutions can be found case by case, which can allow us to perform nanosafety studies in biologically relevant conditions.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Innate Immunity & Cytokines, Institute of Protein Biochemistry, National Research Council, 80131 Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Innate Immunity & Cytokines, Institute of Protein Biochemistry, National Research Council, 80131 Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Boraschi
mesh_terms: D004731:Endotoxins / Q000378:metabolism*; D036103:Nanotechnology; D017751:Safety Management
chemical_list: D004731:Endotoxins
keywords: LAL assay; endotoxin contamination; endotoxin elimination; nanomaterials; nanosafety