Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) are increasingly used in many cosmetics (sunscreens, baby powders, antidandruff shampoos etc), biosensors, food additives, pigments, rubber manufacture and electronic materials. With the wide application of ZnO NPs, concern has been raised about its unintentional health and environmental impacts. However, with increasing interest to their potential toxicity, adverse effects of ZnO NPs have been recently studied in vivo. The toxicity was evaluated by observing changes in cell morphology, cell viability, oxidative stress parameters, DNA damage analysis, and gene expression. The NPs show systemic distribution; target organs are liver, spleen, lung, and kidney and, in some cases, the heart. This study investigates how key factors such as size, surface characteristics, dissolution, and exposure routes mediate toxic effects, and describe corresponding mechanisms, including oxidative stress, coordination effects and non-homeostasis effects of ZnO NPs.
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