Several types of nanoparticles are being evaluated for therapeutic and
diagnostic applications. Although the biocompatibility of these nanoformulations has
been evaluated in different models, it is of utmost importance to standardize the tests in
order to advance our knowledge in this area. This book chapter summarizes
experimental results related to the in vitro and in vivo toxicity of three types of
nanoparticles: gold, silica and poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid). The chapter gives an
overview about the methodologies that can be used to evaluate the toxicity of the
nanoparticles. Whenever possible, a correlation between NP size, chemical composition,
charge and concentration with toxicity is given. We further discuss the main
mechanisms of nanomaterials toxicity including cell membrane perturbation, oxidation
stress, and inflammatory response.
Keywords: Gold nanoparticles, in vitro cytotoxicity, in vivo cytotoxicity,
inflammatory response, mechanism of cytotoxicity, membrane perturbation,
oxidative stress, PLGA nanoparticles, silica nanoparticles, size/shape induced
cytotoxicity.
