Nanotoxicity Activity : 3
Nanoparticles Permeability
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Image from Pixabay 2019
Nanoparticles Permeability
The biological cells are made up of lipid bilayer, a barrier
that protects the cell from any external harmful molecules
that may enter the cell. With the increase of nanotechnology,
the amount of interactions we have with inorganic small
nanoparticles are getting greater. As a result, we are now
facing potential inorganic compounds entering our body that
have never been seen before or closely studied.
It has been demonstrated that nanoparticles could enter the cell membrane via diffusion, endocytosis or exocytosis without being involved with specific receptor mediated interactions. As a result, there is a potential for toxicity to be built up in cells which are exposed to different types of nanoparticles. These particles are often harmless to an individual but with much exposure the toxicity will eventually build up and can damage the cell.
In order to demonstrate the build-up of nanoparticles in a cell we will be conducting the following activity:
1. Using a large cloth preferably a size above 2x2m and cut tiny 7cm
holes in a cross shape and then open those like in the image on
the right. (Try keeping the holes towards the centre of the cloth).
2. Take A4 sheets of paper (preferably from the recycling bin so
we do not waste paper) and scrunch them up into tiny balls.
Use one A4 sheets of paper for the first ball, two A4 for the second
ball, three A4 for the third and six A4 papers for the last ball.
The picture is an example of how it will look like when completed.
(Alternatives: Styrofoam or plasticine balls).
3. Nominate 4 students to hold each corner of the cloth, below their
waist so the centre of the cloth is lower than the outer corners creating
a lowered level centre so the balls may fall into the hole.
4. Split into 4 groups with each group having one kind of ball. For
example, group one will only use the one A4 paper ball and group two will use two etc.
Each group should have approximately 20 paper balls.
5. Strictly drop the ball from any side and see which ones gets through the holes.
Data Collection
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Fill out the table below
2. Graph your tabulated data. Clearly label your axes and include a meaningful title.
Discussion
3. Referring to your data describe the trend observed of number of balls passing through the holes in the fabric.
4. Do your results support the idea that cell toxicity can occur with increased exposure to nanoparticles? Explain.
5. How might inhaled nanoparticles affect health in people and animals?
6. Some technologies incorporate nanoparticles to clean up industrial contaminants and spills by spraying them into the environment. How might this process potentially impact organisms or drinking water?
7. Research using the internet 2 benefits and 2 problems with the increasing use of nanoparticles in science.
8. Find out about the different ways nanoparticles can enter cells. Draw up a table to present your information. The following links may help.
http://sustainable-nano.com/2014/08/19/how-do-nanoparticles-enter-cells/
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/e57f/b002105111c54714f3bd4ffe564f0212a665.pdf