Biomedical Physics Laboratory, Institute of Oncology, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania.
Tohoku J Exp Med. 2011 Dec;225(4):225-34. doi: 10.1620/tjem.225.225.
Nanoparticles (NP) are organic or inorganic substances, the size of which ranges from 1 to 100 nm, and they possess specific properties which are different from those of the bulk materials in the macroscopic scale. In a recent decade, NP were widely applied in biomedicine as potential probes for imaging, drug-delivery systems and regenerative medicine. However, rapid development of nanotechnologies and their applications in clinical research have raised concerns about the adverse effects of NP on human health and environment. In the present review, special attention is paid to the fetal exposure to NP during the period of pregnancy. The ability to control the beneficial effects of NP and to avoid toxicity during treatment requires comprehensive knowledge about the distribution of NP in maternal body and possible penetration through the maternal-fetal barrier that might impair the embryogenesis. The initial in vivo and ex vivo studies imply that NP are able to cross the placental barrier, but the passage to the fetus depends on the size and the surface coating of NP as well as on the experimental model. The toxicity assays indicate that NP might induce adverse physiological effects and impede embryogenesis. The molecular transport mechanisms which are responsible for the transport of nanomaterials across the placental barrier are still poorly understood, and there is a high need for further studies in order to resolve the NP distribution patterns in the organism and to control the beneficial effects of NP applications during pregnancy without impeding the embryogenesis.
纳米粒子（NP）是有机或无机物质，其尺寸范围为 1 至 100nm，它们具有与宏观尺度上的大块材料不同的特定性质。在最近十年中，NP 作为潜在的成像探针、药物传递系统和再生医学的药物，广泛应用于生物医学领域。然而，纳米技术的快速发展及其在临床研究中的应用引起了人们对 NP 对人类健康和环境的不良影响的关注。在本综述中，特别关注了 NP 在妊娠期间对胎儿的暴露。要控制 NP 的有益作用并避免在治疗过程中的毒性，需要全面了解 NP 在母体体内的分布情况以及通过母体-胎儿屏障的可能穿透情况，这可能会损害胚胎发生。最初的体内和离体研究表明，NP 能够穿过胎盘屏障，但 NP 向胎儿的传递取决于 NP 的大小和表面涂层以及实验模型。毒性测定表明，NP 可能引起不良的生理影响并阻碍胚胎发生。负责纳米材料穿过胎盘屏障的分子转运机制仍知之甚少，需要进一步研究以解决 NP 在生物体中的分布模式，并控制 NP 在妊娠期间的有益应用，而不会阻碍胚胎发生。
