NanoGut : unraveling the effects of food-related engineered NANO particles on the GUT interactive ecosystem

Background: The ever-growing exploitation of nanotechnology in the agro-food sector increases the human oral exposure to engineered nanoparticles (ENPs, diameter <100nm)1. It has been estimated that a person consumes trillions of food-related ENPs every day2. The published literature concerning the safety of oral exposure to food-related ENPs provides insufficient reliable data to allow a clear safety assessment. Objective: The two-year project NanoGut funded by Fondazione Cariplo aims to elucidate the effects of sub-lethal concentrations of food-related ENPs on the gut interactive ecosystem and potential toxicity mechanisms, and create the scientific know-how to develop leading edge methodologies vital for the nanosafety assessment. Methods: The interactive gut ecosystem in vitro model is composed by: 1) Caco-2 intestinal epithelial cell; 2) anaerobic mono- and multi-species intestinal biofilm; 3) a probiotic bacterium. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are used as related-food ENP models. The acute and chronic effects of sub-lethal concentrations of AgNPs on the gut ecosystem are investigated. Conclusions: NanoGut will develop a consolidated framework to address nano-related risks and the management of these risks for human health. References: [1]Powell JJ et al. 2010 J Autoimmun 34:226 [2]Mahler GJ et al. 2012 Nat Nanotechnol 7:264