Nanomaterials in diagnostic pathology

Editorial

Amir Abbas Samani ¹, Javad Yazdani ^2,*

¹ William Osler Health Center, Brampton, Canada

² Faculty of Dentistry, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran

*Corresponding at Faculty of Dentistry, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran, Email: ja_yazdani@yahoo.com

Nanotechnology offers novel materials with new possessions and functions for a variety of biomedical fields such as therapy, diagnostics, drug delivery, tissue engineering and, biosensors. In the nanotechnology field, big things are probable from really small things. The small size of nanomaterials helps them to interact with biomolecules to entree in different areas of the body by passing through intracellular spaces. Identifying DNA changes associated with cancer using nanotechnology and nanomaterials has been recently attained more attention from scientists [1-4].

Nanopores, fine pores that permit DNA to pass over one strand at a time, will lead to more effective DNA sequencing. The shape and other possessions of each base, or letter, on the strand can be detected as DNA passes using a nanopore [5]. Nanotubes, carbon rods in the nanometric range, can sense the existence of altered genes. They also may assist to identify the exact site of those changes [6]. Dendrimers, synthetic polymeric macromolecules with a branching shape, show the ability to attach drugs or other active agents [7]. Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), consist of the magnetic elements, are multipurpose diagnostic means as they can be manipulated using an external magnetic field. The intrinsic penetrability of the magnetic field into human tissue enables their monitoring in vivo by means of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) [8]. Quantum dots (QDs), ultrafine crystals with the ability to glow in stimulating by ultraviolet light, can be used to bind to specific DNA sequences. When the QDs combine with a single bead, they can be used as probes. Once this combination is stimulated by UV light, each bead emits light that serves as a sort of spectral bar code, detecting a particular region of DNA [9]. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are the most attractive and broadly used nanomaterials in the biomedical areas for analytical purposes like medical diagnosis labeling and biosensing, due to its outstanding properties such as simple preparation, high biocompatibility and non-cytotoxicity [10]. The silver (Ag) nanomaterials especially nanorods can be used in a diagnostic device to distinguish viruses, bacteria and other microscopic components of blood samples [11].

It has been demonstrated that nanomaterials are promising materials that provide specified diagnostic, therapeutic, and imaging functions. However, the reports showed that smaller particles are more bioactive and may show toxic effects. They may interact with other living systems due to their easily crossing from the skin, lung as well as the blood/brain barriers [12]. Then, more studies are needed in this regard.

 Conflict of interests

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest associated with this work.

References

1. Satvekar, R., B. Tiwale, and S. Pawar, Emerging trends in medical diagnosis: a thrust on nanotechnology. Medicinal chemistry, 2014; 4: 407-416.
2. Salatin, S., S. Maleki Dizaj, and A. Yari Khosroushahi, Effect of the surface modification, size, and shape on cellular uptake of nanoparticles. Cell biology international, 2015; 39: 881-890.
3. Dizaj, S.M., S. Jafari, and A.Y. Khosroushahi, A sight on the current nanoparticle-based gene delivery vectors. Nanoscale research letters, 2014; 9: 252.
4. Salatin, S., Nanoparticles as potential tools for improved antioxidant enzyme delivery. Journal of advanced chemical and pharmaceutical materials (JACPM), 2018; 1: 65-66.
5. Craig, J.M., A.H. Laszlo, I.C. Nova, H. Brinkerhoff, et al., Determining the effects of DNA sequence on Hel308 helicase translocation along single-stranded DNA using nanopore tweezers. Nucleic acids research, 2019.
6. Kinloch, I.A., J. Suhr, J. Lou, R.J. Young, and P.M. Ajayan, Composites with carbon nanotubes and graphene: An outlook. Science, 2018; 362: 547-553.
7. Hamidi, A., S. Sharifi, S. Davara, S. Ghasemi, Y. Omidi, and M.-R. Rashidi, Novel Aldehyde-Terminated Dendrimers; Synthesis and Cytotoxicity Assay. Bioimpacts, 2012; 2: 97-103.
8. Miao, P., Y. Tang, and L. Wang, DNA modified Fe3O4@ Au magnetic nanoparticles as selective probes for simultaneous detection of heavy metal ions. ACS applied materials & interfaces, 2017; 9: 3940-3947.
9. Yang, M., Y. Liu, and X. Jiang, Barcoded point-of-care bioassays. Chemical Society Reviews, 2019.
10. Dizaj, S.M., F. Lotfipour, M. Barzegar-Jalali, M.H. Zarrintan, and K. Adibkia, Antimicrobial activity of the metals and metal oxide nanoparticles. Materials Science and Engineering: C, 2014; 44: 278-284.
11. Ahmadian, E., S.M. Dizaj, E. Rahimpour, A. Hasanzadeh, A. Eftekhari, J. Halajzadeh, and H. Ahmadian, Effect of silver nanoparticles in the induction of apoptosis on human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cell line. Materials Science and Engineering: C, 2018; 93: 465-471.
12. Vale, A., P. Pereira, A. Barbosa, E. Torrado, and N. Alves, Optimization of silver-containing bioglass nanoparticles envisaging biomedical applications. Materials Science and Engineering: C, 2019; 94: 161-168.