Nanoparticles (NPs) have been studied as therapeutic drug-delivery agents for promising clinical trial outcomes. Nanomaterial-based drugs can transfer conventional drugs to target lesions, such as tumors, with increasing efficiency by enhancing drug-cell interaction or drug absorption. Although they are favorable as efficient drug transfer systems, NPs also exhibit cytotoxicity that affects nonpathological regions. Here, we review the basic information behind NP-induced Ca2+ signaling and its participation in channel physiology and pathology. NPs are observed to demonstrate inhibitory or active effects on Ca2+ signaling. Thus, understanding Ca2+ signaling by NPs as a key mechanism in signal transduction will progress the application of nano-drugs in various diseases without deleterious effect.
Keywords: Ca2+ ATPase; Ca2+ signaling; G protein-coupled receptors; cytotoxicity; nanoparticles; signal transduction; store-operated Ca2+ channels; transient receptor potential channels; voltage-gated Ca2+ channels.