Abstract

The interaction between engineered nanoparticles and the bacterial lipopolysaccharide, or endotoxin, is an event that warrants attention. Endotoxin is one of the most potent stimulators of inflammation and immune reactions in human beings, and is a very common contaminant in research labs. In nanotoxicology and nanomedicine, the presence of endotoxin on the nanoparticle surface affects their biological properties leading to misinterpretation of results. This review discusses the importance of detecting the endotoxin contamination on nanoparticles, focusing on the current method of endotoxin detection and their suitability for nanoparticulate materials. Conversely, the capacity of nanoparticles to bind endotoxin can be enhanced by functionalization with endotoxin-capturing molecules, opening the way to the development of novel endotoxin detection assays.

摘要

工程纳米粒子与细菌脂多糖或内毒素之间的相互作用是值得关注的事件。内毒素是人类炎症和免疫反应最有效的刺激物之一，也是研究实验室中非常常见的污染物。在纳米毒理学和纳米医学中，纳米颗粒表面内毒素的存在会影响其生物学特性，从而导致对结果的误解。本综述讨论了检测纳米颗粒上内毒素污染的重要性，重点介绍了当前的内毒素检测方法及其对纳米颗粒材料的适用性。相反，纳米颗粒结合内毒素的能力可以通过内毒素捕获分子的功能化来增强，