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Toxics
Special Issues
Deciphering Toxicology of Nanomaterials and Sustainable Nano-Based Products
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Deciphering Toxicology of Nanomaterials and Sustainable Nano-Based Products

A special issue of Toxics (ISSN 2305-6304). This special issue belongs to the section "Novel Methods in Toxicology Research".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 October 2023) | Viewed by 4438

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Lok. R. Pokhrel

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Public Health, Brody School of Medicine East Carolina University, 600 Moye Blvd., Greenville, NC 27834, USA
Interests: nanotoxicology; nano-based antivirals, antibacterials and pesticides development; sustainability; food production and safety; chemical risk assessment; environmental health and safety research
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, nanoscience and nanotechnology have rapidly evolved and emerged as a game-changer in various sectors, offering novel and innovative breakthrough solutions to tackle various public health problems facing mankind today. The unique properties of nanomaterials have made them attractive for numerous applications. However, the potential toxicity and risk associated with nanomaterial exposure have raised concerns for their sustainable development. The understanding of toxicological mechanisms is critical to identifying the hazards associated with nanomaterials. The goal is to determine safe levels of exposure that minimize the risks, while allowing for the sustainable development of nanomaterials. Understanding the physical and chemical properties, exposure routes, and toxicological mechanisms of nanomaterials allows for better risk assessment and informs regulatory decision making. Sustainable development ensures that nanomaterials are developed and used responsibly, minimizing the potential risks while maximizing their benefits. Continued research and collaboration between scientists, policymakers, and industry stakeholders are necessary to address the challenges and ensure the safe and sustainable use of nanomaterials in various sectors.

In this Special Issue, original research articles, short communications, reviews, and opinions/perspectives dedicated to sustainable nanotechnology-based innovative products, technologies, and/or methods/protocols for manufacturing such technologies as identified above, and other related topics, are welcome. Studies that focus on mechanisms/modes of actions, novel prophylaxis, treatments/therapeutics, antibacterial agents, insecticides/pesticides, food safety, and food and agricultural production are prioritized for this Special Issue.

Dr. Lok. R. Pokhrel
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Toxics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • nanotechnology
  • therapeutics
  • antimicrobials
  • pesticides
  • food production
  • sustainability

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 6327 KiB  
Article
Evaluating Molecular Mechanism of Viral Inhibition of Aerosolized Smart Nano-Enabled Antiviral Therapeutic (SNAT) on SARS-CoV-2-Infected Hamsters
by Anais N. Bauer, John F. Williams, Lok R. Pokhrel, Selena Garcia, Niska Majumdar, Jeffrey B. Eells, Paul P. Cook and Shaw M. Akula
Toxics 2024, 12(7), 495; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics12070495 - 5 Jul 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1822
Abstract
Smart Nano-enabled Antiviral Therapeutic (SNAT) is a promising nanodrug that previously demonstrated efficacy in preclinical studies to alleviate SARS-CoV-2 pathology in hamsters. SNAT comprises taxoid (Tx)-decorated amino (NH2)-functionalized near-atomic size positively charged silver nanoparticles (Tx–[NH2-AgNPs]). Herein, we aimed to [...] Read more.
Smart Nano-enabled Antiviral Therapeutic (SNAT) is a promising nanodrug that previously demonstrated efficacy in preclinical studies to alleviate SARS-CoV-2 pathology in hamsters. SNAT comprises taxoid (Tx)-decorated amino (NH2)-functionalized near-atomic size positively charged silver nanoparticles (Tx–[NH2-AgNPs]). Herein, we aimed to elucidate the molecular mechanism of the viral inhibition and safety of aerosolized SNAT treatment in SARS-CoV-2-infected golden Syrian hamsters. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and ELISAs showed SNAT binds directly to the SARS-CoV-2 virus by interacting with intact spike (S) protein, specifically to S2 subunit. SNAT (≥1 µg/mL) treatment significantly lowered SARS-CoV-2 infections of Calu-3 cells. Extraction-free whole transcriptome assay was used to detect changes in circulatory micronome in hamsters treated intranasally with SNAT (two doses of 10 µg/mL of 2 mL each administered 24 h apart). Uninfected hamsters treated with SNAT had altered circulatory concentrations of 18 microRNAs (8 miRNAs upregulated, 10 downregulated) on day 3 post-treatment compared to uninfected controls. SNAT-induced downregulation of miR-141-3p and miR-200b-3p may reduce viral replication and inflammation by targeting Ythdf2 and Slit2, respectively. Further, SNAT treatment significantly lowered IL-6 expression in infected hamster lungs compared to untreated infected hamsters. Taken together, we demonstrate that SNAT binds directly to SARS-CoV-2 via the S protein to prevent viral entry and propose a model by which SNAT alters the cellular miRNA-directed milieu to promote antiviral cellular processes and neutralize infection. Our results provide insights into the use of low-dose intranasally delivered SNAT in treating SARS-CoV-2 infections in a hamster model. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Deciphering Toxicology of Nanomaterials and Sustainable Nano-Based Products)
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14 pages, 2532 KiB  
Article
Increased DNMT1 Involvement in the Activation of LO2 Cell Death Induced by Silver Nanoparticles via Promoting TFEB-Dependent Autophagy
by Jialong Chen, Dongyan Zheng, Ziwei Cai, Bohuan Zhong, Haiqiao Zhang, Zhijie Pan, Xiaoxuan Ling, Yali Han, Jinxue Meng, Huifang Li, Xiaobing Chen, He Zhang and Linhua Liu
Toxics 2023, 11(9), 751; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics11090751 - 4 Sep 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2124
Abstract
The accumulation of exogenous silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) will terminally bring about liver injury, including cell death, where DNA methylation tends to be a crucial epigenetic modulator. The change in the cell autophagy level verified to be closely associated with hepatocyte death has been [...] Read more.
The accumulation of exogenous silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) will terminally bring about liver injury, including cell death, where DNA methylation tends to be a crucial epigenetic modulator. The change in the cell autophagy level verified to be closely associated with hepatocyte death has been followed with wide interest. But the molecular toxicological mechanisms of AgNPs in relation to DNA methylation, autophagy, and cell death remain inconclusive. To address the issue above, in LO2 cells treated with increasing concentrations of AgNPs (0, 5, 10, and 20 μg/mL), a cell cytotoxicity assay was performed to analyze the level of cell death, which also helped to choose an optimal concentration for next experiments. An immunofluorescence assay was used to determine the autophagic flux as well as TFEB translocation, with qRT-PCR and western blot being used to analyze the expression level of autophagy-related genes and proteins. According to our findings, in the determination of cell viability, 20 μg/mL (AgNPs) was adopted as the best working concentration. LO2 cell death, autophagy, and TFEB nuclear translocation were induced by AgNPs, which could be inhibited by lysosome inhibitor chloroquine (CQ) or siRNA specific for TFEB. Moreover, AgNP exposure led to DNA hypermethylation, with DNMT1 taking part mainly, which could be obviously prevented by 5-Aza-2′-deoxycytidine (5-AzaC) or trichostatin A (TSA) treatment or DNMT1 knockout in LO2 cells. Our studies suggest that through TFEB-dependent cell autophagy, increased DNMT1 may facilitate cell death induced by AgNPs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Deciphering Toxicology of Nanomaterials and Sustainable Nano-Based Products)
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