Oral exposure to nanomaterials can occur after release from a wide array of commercial products, but the nanoparticle properties during exposure may be considerably different than those used in the commercial product initially. Thus, it is important to understand the fundamental chemical processes leading to modification of nanoparticle size and chemical properties in both environmental media prior to exposure and biological media after exposure. In this study, changes to nanoparticle properties are observed after introduction to a three vessel system (based on US-pharmacopeia standards) where particles experience conditions simulating different water pH and ion content or conditions in the gastrointestinal track (i.e. stomach-duodenum-jejunum). Rapid growth through condensation, aggregation, dissolution, and morphological changes are observed on the timescale of seconds-to-minutes. Modified nanoparticles were characterized through a combination of sizing (Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NTA)), imaging (electron microscopy and Raman microspectroscopy), and chemical analysis (electrospray coupled to a single particle mass spectrometer).

Size and chemistry of modified engineered nanomaterials in environmental and biological media: How different are the nanoparticles we are exposed to from their initial form?

251st National Meeting (2016)

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