Engineered nanoparticles induced brush border disruption in a human model of the intestinal epithelium.

Nanoparticles hold great promise in cell biology and medicine due to the inherent physico-chemical properties when these materials are synthesized on the nanoscale. Moreover, their small size, and the ability to functionalize the outer nanoparticle surface makes them an ideal vector suited to traverse a number of physical barriers in the human body. While nanoparticles hold great promise for applications in cell biology and medicine, their downfall is the toxicity that accompanies exposure to biological systems.