Descrição
Nanomaterials have unusual properties not found in the bulk materials, which can be exploited in numerous
applications such as biosensing, electronics, scaffolds for tissue engineering, diagnostics and drug
delivery. However, research in the past few years has turned up a range of potential health hazards,
which has given birth to the new discipline of nanotoxicology. Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a promising
material for biomedical applications, namely due its biocompatibility. Although BC has been shown not
to be cytotoxic or genotoxic, the properties of isolated BC nanofibres (NFs) on cells and tissues has never
been analysed. Considering the toxicity associated to other fibre-shaped nanoparticles, it seems crucial
to evaluate the toxicity associated to the BC-NFs.
In thiswork, nanofibreswere produced frombacterial cellulose by a combination of acid and ultrasonic
treatment. The genotoxicity of nanofibres from bacterial cellulosewas analysed in vitro, using techniques
previously demonstrated to detect the genotoxicity of fibrous nanoparticles. The results from single cell
gel electrophoresis (also known as comet assay) and the Salmonella reversion assays showed that NFs are
not genotoxicity under the conditions tested. A proliferation assay using fibroblasts and CHO cells reveals
a slight reduction in the proliferation rate, although no modification in the cell morphology is observed.
; Silva, Naisandra Bezerra 
