Department of Ophthalmology, College of Medicine, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC) and Dean McGee Eye Institute, 608 Stanton L Young Blvd, DMEI PB L027, 73104, Oklahoma City, OK, USA,
Adv Exp Med Biol. 2014;801:821-8. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4614-3209-8_103.
Cerium oxide (CeO2) nanoparticles, CeNPs or nanoceria are inorganic and possess catalytic antioxidant activity. They scavenge reactive oxygen species and act as an oxygen buffer. Their application in industry is well-established. However, their usage as bona fide antioxidants in biological systems has been recent and is quite revolutionary. Other reviews have documented nanoceria's protective effect in reducing oxidative stress in cell culture and in animal disease models that are associated with oxidative stress. We specifically have targeted CeNPs as ophthalmic therapeutics to slow the progression of retinal degeneration and as anti-angiogenic agents in rodent models. The radical scavenging activity of CeNPs is mainly due to the dramatic increase of surface area to volume ratio in these nanocrystalline structures. The parameters for CeNPs usage in industrial settings are decidedly not suitable for biological applications. In this short review, we report the pharmacokinetics, biodistribution, and toxicity evaluation of CeNPs when applied as ophthalmic therapeutic agents in an in vivo system. We highlight studies that examine how CeNPs behave in biological environments and how they interact with bio-macromolecules. We also discuss studies that examine the dynamic changes of the surface chemistry of CeNPs in physiological buffers. Finally, we raise a list of questions that we think ought to be answered for CeNPs to be considered the antioxidants of choice in medicine, specifically in the treatment of ocular diseases.
氧化铈（CeO2）纳米粒子，CeNPs 或纳米氧化铈是无机的，具有催化抗氧化活性。它们能清除活性氧物质并充当氧气缓冲剂。它们在工业中的应用已经成熟。然而，它们作为生物系统中真正的抗氧化剂的应用是最近的，并且是相当革命性的。其他评论已经记录了纳米氧化铈在减少与氧化应激相关的细胞培养和动物疾病模型中的氧化应激的保护作用。我们特别将 CeNPs 作为眼科治疗药物，以减缓视网膜变性的进展，并作为啮齿动物模型中的抗血管生成剂。CeNPs 的自由基清除活性主要归因于这些纳米晶结构中表面积与体积比的急剧增加。CeNPs 在工业应用中的使用参数显然不适合生物应用。在这篇简短的综述中，我们报告了 CeNPs 作为眼用治疗剂在体内系统中的药代动力学、生物分布和毒性评估。我们强调了研究 CeNPs 在生物环境中的行为以及它们与生物大分子相互作用的研究。我们还讨论了研究生理缓冲液中 CeNPs 表面化学动态变化的研究。最后，我们提出了一系列问题，我们认为这些问题应该得到回答，以使 CeNPs 被认为是医学中（特别是在眼部疾病治疗中）的首选抗氧化剂。
