Approach for in vitro testing of oral nanocarrier toxicity

Nanomedicine opens new frontiers for treating, curing and diagnosing diseases due to the unique physicochemical properties of nanomaterials. Nano-based drug delivery systems are one of main applications of nanomedicine. To develop promising nano-based drug delivery systems, both efficacy and safety should be carefully evaluated. However, at present, a rational and solid approach in response to these needs has not been devised. In the present work we present a novel testing strategy, based on in vitro cell models and approaches, aimed to evaluate the safety of orally administered nanocarriers, emphasizing the importance of harmonized and validated standard operating procedures in a safe-by-design context.