The impact of nanoparticles on the proteome of cultured human cells
Abstract
Living organisms are constantly being exposed to nanoparticles (NPs) in the environment via air,
water, soil. Routes of exposure are usually in the form of industrial, occupational exposure, as well
as therapeutic applications. This exposure could result in toxicity with potential harmful effects.
The toxicity of nanoparticles depends on various factors such as surface interaction, shape, size,
composition, aggregation and interaction with various cellular components.
Nanotoxicity refers to the possible harmful effects of environmentally generated and man-made
nanoparticles on biological and environmental system. Assessing potential toxicity is vital for the
probable use and safety of nanoparticles as well as understanding the routes of entry into organisms
and their mechanism of action. Proteomics is a developing field of science that is being explored
to understand protein composition, structure and interaction at the cellular level. This helps in
detecting the presence, quantity, alteration and regulation of proteins within the biological system.
The proteome analysis brings an additional information as it enables measurement of wholeprotein
(enzyme) expression levels, facilitating the construction of metabolic pathways and
biomarker discovery for early disease diagnosis. Essentially, proteomic analysis reveals the
consequence of stress on metabolic pathways necessary to maintain the energy homeostasis within
the cells.