Engineered nanomaterials have unique properties compared to their bulk counterparts. Hence, they have been applied to consumer products such as electronics, as well as in medicine and agriculture. Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) are one example of nanomaterials used in a wide range of consumer products due to their conductivity and biocidal properties. CuO NPs have shown to be toxic in various organisms, however the reasons for their toxicity is yet to be elucidated. As such, there is a growing need to determine the molecular effects of these nanoparticles to different biological systems. In this work, the toxicity of CuO NPs was evaluated in different cell lines, showing a dose-dependent toxicity. To investigate the underlying reasons for their toxicity, an untargeted metabolomics approach was employed in human colon carcinoma cells using liquid chromatography high resolution mass spectrometry-based metabolomics. Significant changes in the metabolome were observed after exposure to CuO NPs, in agreement with concentration-dependent toxicity, reflecting cellular stress induced by CuO NPs. Based on the changes in different metabolites classes induced by CuO NP exposure and previous studies from our laboratory, we propose that oxidative stress plays a role in   CuO NP-induced toxicity. These result provide insights on the biological effects of CuO NPs in mammalian cells and their effect on cellular homeostasis.<br/>

Mass spectroscopy-based metabolomics reveals new insights on the biological effects of copper oxide nanoparticles in a human colon carcinoma cell line

256th National Meeting (2018)

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