ABSTRACT
Increasing interest in the effect of nanoparticulate matter and biological systems has led to the formation of the relatively new field of nanotoxicity. Nanoparticle size – in the region of 0.1–100 nanometres (nm) – is often within or below the wavelength of light, rendering standard light microscopy ill-equipped to adequately locate nanoparticles within defined subcellular compartments. The resolving power of electron microscopy solves this issue.
Model systems, with an emphasis on epithelium, are outlined and ultrastructural changes indicative of nanoparticle-induced damage such as the formation of reactive oxygen species are described. Endocytotic pathways are discussed as it is important to have an appreciation of not only how nanoparticles reach a cell, but also how they gain entry and how they are trafficked within the cell once entry has been made.
Electron microscopy does not offer all the answers. However, when electron, light, and fluorescent microscopies are married into a correlative microscopy approach, the chemistry of nanoparticle, cell, and subcellular compartment and the health of a cell and/or the tissue of which it is a composite part can be determined.
This chapter presents an overview of the importance of research into the bio-nano interface and outlines steps to be taken when designing experiments and analysis of this important and poorly understood area. An introduction to image interpretation is given, enabling reliable qualitative and quantitative data to be generated, which will further elucidate this bio-nano interface allowing optimal implementation of nanoparticulate matter in industry, medicine, and research.
