"Nanoparticle" is defined as the particles whose diameter in at least one dimension is less than 100 nm. Compared with fine-particles, nanoparticles have large specific surface area. There is a dramatic increase over fine-particles in chemical and physical activities, such as ion release, adsorption ability, and ROS production. These properties are important for industrial use, and many nanoparticles are already used in products familiar to consumers as sunscreens and cosmetics. However, nanoparticle properties beneficial to the industry may also induce biological influences, including toxic activities. Recently, many investigations about the toxicology of nanoparticles have been reported. In the evaluation of nanoparticles toxicity, in vitro studies give us important information, especially in terms of toxic mechanisms. In vitro studies showed that some nanoparticles induce oxidative stress, apoptosis, production of cytokines, and cell death. There are reports that cellular influences of other nanoparticles are small. There are also reports of different results, some with low and some with high influences, for the same nanoparticle. One of the causes of this inconsistency might be a diremption of the living body influence study and the characterization study. Characterization of individual nanoparticles and their dispersions are essential for in vitro evaluation of their biological effects since each nanoparticle shows unique chemical and physical properties. Particularly, the aggregation state and metal ion release ability of nanoparticles affect its cellular influences. Reports concerning the characterization in the in vitro toxicity assessment are increasing. For an accurate risk assessment of nanoparticles, in this review, we outline recent studies of in vitro evaluation of cellular influences induced by nanoparticles. Moreover, we also introduce current studies about the characterization methods of nanoparticles and their dispersions for toxicological evaluation.
© 2011 American Chemical Society