SGER: Biologically Compatible Engineered Nanoparticles to Prevent UV-Radiation Induced Damage

这项拟议的研究的目标是确定这种相互作用是否特定于氧化铈纳米颗粒，并获得支持这一假说的生化证据，以解释观察到的对人类细胞的影响。具体目标是：1.超细稀土纳米粒子的工程和后续材料的表征，2.通过显微镜和3.确定颗粒与人体细胞相互作用的性质。确定纳米颗粒在暴露于活性氧物种时的行为变化。这项拟议中的研究将开始确定氧化铈纳米颗粒和类似类别的稀土保护人类细胞免受紫外线诱导的细胞死亡的分子机制。目前对这些纳米粒子与人体细胞之间的相互作用的了解严重不足。关于这些小颗粒与哺乳动物系统在毒性方面的相互作用，以利用这些经过工程的纳米结构在防治环境污染方面的有益方面，人们知之甚少。随着人们对纳米级治疗药物合成的兴趣与日俱增，即使考虑到培养细胞中展示的潜在好处，对金属氧化物颗粒相互作用的基本了解也是确定接触这些颗粒的潜在危险和风险的基础。广泛的影响：纳米级设备的使用有望成为未来工程和医学进步的关键。因此，人类细胞如何与纳米粒子相互作用的基础知识对纳米设备和疗法的发展具有非常广泛的影响。研究生的培养将具有很强的跨学科性质--涉及材料工程、细胞生物学、生物化学等领域。该项目的跨学科性质是可能的，因为对两名首席调查员进行了广泛的培训，并将促进这些调查员在今后的研究中进行协作。这项拟议的研究将加强中佛罗里达大学研究生的培训。

The goal of the proposed research is focused on determining whether this interaction is specific to ceria nano-particles, and to obtain biochemical evidence in support of this hypothesis to explain the observed effects on human cells. The specific aims are to: 1.) engineering of ultrafine rare earth nanoparticles and subsequent material characterization, 2.) Determine the nature of the interactions of the particles with the human cells by microscopy and 3.) Determine the changes in behavior of the nanoparticles upon exposure to reactive oxygen species. The proposed studies will begin to pinpoint the molecular mechanism by which cerium oxide nanoparticles and similar class of rare earths can protect human cells against UV-induced cell death. The current understanding of interactions between these nanoparticles and human cells is sorely lacking. Little is known about the interaction of these small particles and mammalian systems in terms of toxicity to harness the beneficial aspects of these engineered nanostructures in combating environmental pollution. As interest in nano-scale synthesis of therapeutics increases, a basic understanding of the interactions of metal oxide particles is fundamental to determine potential hazards and risks to exposure to these particles, even in light of the potential benefits demonstrated in the cultured cells.Broader Impact: The use of nano-scale devices promises to be the key to future advances in engineering and medicine. Fundamental knowledge of how human cells interact with nanoparticles thus has very broad impact into the development of nano-scale devices and therapeutics. The training of graduate students will be strongly interdisciplinary - spanning the fields of materials engineering, cell biology, biochemistry. The interdisciplinary nature of the project is possible because of the broad training of the two principal investigators and will facilitate collaboration between these investigators in future research. The proposed research will strengthen the training of graduate students at the University of Central Florida.