Pluripotent stem cells: An in vitro model for nanotoxicity assessments

Abstract

The advent of technology has led to an established range of engineered nanoparticles that are used in diverse applications, such as cell-cell interactions, cell-material interactions, medical therapies and the target modulation of cellular processes. The exponential increase in the utilization of nanomaterials and the growing number of associated criticisms has highlighted the potential risks of nanomaterials to human health and the ecosystem. The existing in vivo and in vitro platforms show limitations, with fluctuations being observed in the results of toxicity assessments. Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) are viable source of cells that are capable of developing into specialized cells of the human body. PSCs can be efficiently used to screen new biomaterials/drugs and are potential candidates for studying impairments of biophysical morphology at both the cellular and tissue levels during interactions with nanomaterials and for diagnosing toxicity. Three-dimensional in vitro models obtained using PSC-derived cells would provide a realistic, patient-specific platform for toxicity assessments and in drug screening applications. The current review focuses on PSCs as an alternative in vitro platform for assessing the hazardous effects of nanomaterials on health systems and highlights the importance of PSC-derived in vitro platforms.

In vitro toxicity screening of magnetite nanoparticles by applying mesenchymal stem cells derived from human umbilical cord lining

“…Staminal cells may represent an important tool for establishing efficient platforms for primary toxicity screens (Handral et al, ; Pittenger et al, ; Scanu et al, ). Notably, one of the major problems in the field of nanotoxicology is to identify an in vitro model that accurately reflects the hazard on human health.…”

“…Both these models show major limitations: primary cells are not easily obtained and cannot be maintained in culture for prolonged periods or expanded in vitro, and immortalized cell lines cannot faithfully replicate cellular physiology and functions. Revolutionary SC research has set a trend of using in vitro cellular models by proving readily available pluripotent and multipotent SCs (Handral et al, ), which may represent an important tool for establishing efficient platforms for primary screens and for safety, pharmacological and toxicity testing (Handral et al, ; Kitambi & Chandrasekar, ; Nirmalanandhan & Sittampalam, ; Wobus & Löser, ). SCs offer an unlimited and consistent number of cells (Suter‐Dick et al, ), with unique properties, such as proliferation ability, plasticity to generate other cell types, and mechanisms that are more consistent with the in vivo situation both in human health and disease.…”

Current Strategies in Assessment of Nanotoxicity: Alternatives to In Vivo Animal Testing

“…In the development of toxicity testing by using iPSCs, some studies have successfully incorporated iPSCs with genetic diversity into cardiotoxicity testing [39]. In a recent study, iPSCs as a cell-based in vitro model were regarded as a new approach in nanotoxicity assessment to evaluate the safety of engineered NPs [40]. For instance, hepatocyte-like cells (HLCs) induced from iPSCs have been suggested as an alternative in vitro hepatotoxicity model to study NP toxicity.…”

<p>Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Induce Mitochondrial Biogenesis Impairment and Cardiac Dysfunction in Human iPSC-Derived Cardiomyocytes</p>

“…A reliable and human-relevant platform is essential to illustrate ZnO NPs-induced deleterious effects in the cardiovascular system and to provide a good understanding of its mechanism of action. 18 Currently, most of the in vitro cardiotoxicity models used in assessment of nanoparticles are based on primary cultured cardiac cells and immortalized cell lines. However, it is challenging to extrapolate the data generated from these systems to humans since these in vitro models show many limitations.…”