ReviewNanoparticles and their biological and environmental applications
Section snippets
Types of nanoparticles
Nanoparticles can be classified on the basis of the type of material into metallic, semiconductor and polymeric nanoparticles. Two metallic nanoparticles (that is gold and magnetic nanoparticles) and one semiconductor nanoparticle (that is quantum dots) are described here. Gold nanoparticles are associated colloids with dimensions ranging from 0.8–250 nm (3). They can be conjugated with different biomolecules simply through a biotin-(strept)avidin coupling reaction between biotinylated
Detection of biomolecules
Nanoparticles have been widely used as signal reporters to detect biomolecules in DNA assay, immunoassay and cell bioimaging. Usually, they are derivatized with different functional groups such as nucleic acid-targeted oligonucleotide probes, antibodies and protein to produce nanoprobes (Fig. 1A). Gold nanoparticle-based probes have been used in the identification of pathogenic bacteria in DNA-microarray technology (15). Results indicated that the melting profiles of target/probe hybrids can be
Microbial monitoring and detection
Although there are fewer applications of nanoparticles in environmental studies than in biomedical studies, the use of QDs as a fluorescence labeling system in microbial detection has been successfully demonstrated. Thiolated CdSe-core QDs could be conjugated with wheat germ agglutinin (WGA), a lectin that is commonly found in gram-positive bacteria (31). By reacting with bacterial cells, this QD-conjugated WGA can bind to sialic acid and N-acetylglucosaminyl residues on bacterial cell walls.
Environmental and health impacts
Although nanoparticles have received much attention for their applications in biological studies, various studies have shown the potential adverse effects of nanoparticles on human health and the environment (42). It is likely that waste generated during the production and use of these nanoparticles will appear eventually in various environments. There is a high possibility that human beings will be exposed to these nanoparticles through inhalation, dermal adsorption and digestion. The
Conclusions
Metallic and inorganic nanoparticles exhibit unique properties in terms of particle aggregation, photoemission, electrical and heat conductivity, and catalytic activity. These properties have recently been applied in different biological studies including bio-molecule detection, sample separation, purification and concentration, substrate coding, and signal transduction and amplification. In their application to environmental research, these nanoparticles further enhance the detection
Acknowledgments
This review article is contributed by WTL as the recipient of the Young Asian Biotechnologist Prize in 2005.
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