ABSTRACT
The European Union redefined nanomaterial as a natural, incidental or manufactured material containing particles, with one or more external dimensions in the size range 1-100 nm. Among nanoparticles, silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) are the most commercialised nano-compound at present. In the past 10 years of studying the cytotoxicity mechanism of Ag NPs using multilevel biomics methods, a complete research route has been formed by some group: Ag NPs were prepared and characterised; the effects of Ag NPs on the morphology, proliferation, cell cycle and apoptosis of human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) were evaluated at the cellular level; biomics experiments were carried out to obtain the mRNA, microRNA (miRNA) and protein expression in Ag NP-treated HDFs. Combining these three methods together could incorporate expression pattern, functional annotations and biological pathways, so as to describe biological processes comprehensively and to illustrate the molecular mechanism of cytotoxicity of Ag NPs effectively.
