August 23, 2017 by Yi Zuo Molecular dynamics simulations revealed a pulmonary surfactant corona coated on inhaled nanoparticle. Credit: University of Hawaii at Manoa

Nano-enabled consumer products surround people every day, from personal care, cosmetics, clothing and electronics, to food and beverage.

The Nanotechnology Consumer Products Inventory maintained by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars has listed 1,814 nano-enabled consumer products, many of which have a potential safety hazard if inhaled. However, their potential biological risks are still largely unknown.

University of Hawai'i at Mnoa College of Engineering Professor Yi Zuo has developed a new method to reveal the molecular mechanism of nano-bio interactions in the lungs. This research was published in the July 2017 issue of the scientific journal ACS Nano, "Unveiling the molecular structure of pulmonary surfactant corona on nanoparticles."

Zuo's study showed that once the inhaled nanoparticles enter the lungs, they are quickly wrapped with a biomolecular corona made of the natural pulmonary surfactant. The entire surface of the lungs is lined with a lipid-protein pulmonary surfactant film,which serves an important physiological function of host defense and surface tension reduction. The pulmonary surfactant corona provides the inhaled nanoparticles with a new identity in their subsequent interactions with the biological system, such as their clearance and cellular toxicity.

"Molecular scale interactions between nanoparticles and biomolecules are too small and too fast to be visualized by most conventional experimental methods," Zuo said. "Hence, we studied the nano-bio interactions with a virtual experiment called molecular dynamics simulations. Using supercomputers, we created a virtual box in which a certain number of molecules and particles can move and interact with each other for a certain time by following the natural laws of physics and chemistry. The final equilibrium state of the simulation reveals the molecular mechanism of nano-bio interactions."

This study may also advance the understanding of other air pollutants, such as vog, an air pollutant that is unique to Hawai'i due to its volcanic eruptions.Given the environmental, health and safety impact of vog, there is an urgent need to understand its pulmonary risk, especially to those with existing respiratory conditions and children, whose respiratory system is significantly more vulnerable to particle invasion than adults.

Zuo is continuing to study the molecular mechanism of nano-bio interactions using molecular dynamics simulations and novel experimental techniques developed in his Laboratory of Biocolloids and Biointerfaces, helping to provide a useful metric for regulating and overseeing commercial applications of nanotechnology toward a safer and more sustainable development.

Explore further: Nanoparticles can travel from lungs to blood, possibly explaining risks to heart

More information: Qinglin Hu et al. Unveiling the Molecular Structure of Pulmonary Surfactant Corona on Nanoparticles, ACS Nano (2017). DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.7b01873

Tiny particles in air pollution have been associated with cardiovascular disease, which can lead to premature death. But how particles inhaled into the lungs can affect blood vessels and the heart has remained a mystery. ...

(PhysOrg.com) -- Diesel engines emit countless carbon nanoparticles into the air, slipping through government regulation and vehicle filters. A new University of Michigan simulation shows that these nanoparticles can get ...

A new class of materials which are suitable agents for oil displacing in enhanced oil recovery have been developed by scientists in the Energy Safety Research Institute (ESRI) at Swansea University and scientists at Islamic ...

Cholesterol, a naturally occurring compound at the lung surface, has been shown to have a clear effect on the properties of this nanoscale film that covers the inside of our lungs. Cholesterol levels in this system may affect ...

Thousands of consumer products containing engineered nanoparticlesmicroscopic particles found in everyday items from cosmetics and clothing to building materialsenter the market every year. Concerns about possible environmental ...

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have managed to synthesise lung surfactant, a drug used in the care of preterm babies, by mimicking the production of spider silk. Animal studies reveal it to be just as effective ...

The world's shortest race by distancea fraction of the width of a human hairwas run on gold and silver tracks, and took a whopping 30 hours. Given that the vehicles were invisible to the naked eye, your typical racing ...

Nano-enabled consumer products surround people every day, from personal care, cosmetics, clothing and electronics, to food and beverage.

They may be tiny and invisible, says Xiaoji Xu, but the aerosol particles suspended in gases play a role in cloud formation and environmental pollution and can be detrimental to human health.

To improve viewing pleasure, companies have developed televisionand tablet screensthat include quantum dots to enhance brightness and color. Some quantum dots are made with potentially harmful metals, which could leach ...

By combining an FDA-approved cancer immunotherapy with an emerging tumor-roasting nanotechnology, Duke University researchers improved the efficacy of both therapies in a proof-of-concept study using mice.

Whether you call it effervescent, fizzy, or sparkling, carbonated water is making a comeback as a beverage. Aside from quenching thirst, researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have discovered a new ...

Please sign in to add a comment. Registration is free, and takes less than a minute. Read more

Read the rest here:

New biological identity of inhaled nanoparticles revealed - Phys.Org