Reactive oxygen species-related activities of nano-iron metal and nano-iron oxides

Haohao Wu; Jun-Jie Yin; Wayne G Wamer; Mingyong Zeng; Y Martin Lo

doi:10.1016/j.jfda.2014.01.007

Reactive oxygen species-related activities of nano-iron metal and nano-iron oxides

J Food Drug Anal. 2014 Mar;22(1):86-94. doi: 10.1016/j.jfda.2014.01.007. Epub 2014 Feb 5.

Authors

Haohao Wu¹, Jun-Jie Yin², Wayne G Wamer³, Mingyong Zeng⁴, Y Martin Lo⁵

Affiliations

¹ College of Food Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, 5 Yushan Road, Qingdao, Shandong Province 266003, China; Department of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA; Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, US Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD 20740, USA.
² Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, US Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD 20740, USA. Electronic address: junjie.yin@fda.hhs.gov.
³ Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, US Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD 20740, USA.
⁴ College of Food Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, 5 Yushan Road, Qingdao, Shandong Province 266003, China.
⁵ Department of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.

Abstract

Nano-iron metal and nano-iron oxides are among the most widely used engineered and naturally occurring nanostructures, and the increasing incidence of biological exposure to these nanostructures has raised concerns about their biotoxicity. Reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced oxidative stress is one of the most accepted toxic mechanisms and, in the past decades, considerable efforts have been made to investigate the ROS-related activities of iron nanostructures. In this review, we summarize activities of nano-iron metal and nano-iron oxides in ROS-related redox processes, addressing in detail the known homogeneous and heterogeneous redox mechanisms involved in these processes, intrinsic ROS-related properties of iron nanostructures (chemical composition, particle size, and crystalline phase), and ROS-related bio-microenvironmental factors, including physiological pH and buffers, biogenic reducing agents, and other organic substances.

Keywords: Iron oxide; Metallic iron; Nanoparticle; Reactive oxygen species; Toxicity.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Cellular Microenvironment
Ferric Compounds* / chemistry
Humans
Iron* / chemistry
Metal Nanoparticles / chemistry
Metal Nanoparticles / toxicity*
Oxidation-Reduction
Oxidative Stress
Reactive Oxygen Species / chemistry
Reactive Oxygen Species / metabolism*

Substances

Ferric Compounds
Reactive Oxygen Species
ferric oxide
Iron

Grants and funding

The financial support of the China Scholarship Council (CSC; No. 201306330015) is gratefully acknowledged.