Nanomaterials and Immune cells; A Battle Arena Where Both Win

As the science of nanomedicine advances, new aspects regarding its benefits and possible harms are unraveled. In addition, the use of nanotechnology in industry has made the population prone to a variety of nanomaterials more than ever. It is thus important to be assured that these novel nano-therapeutics and industrial nanomaterials are not of any harm to the human health. Inflammation is part of the complex biological response of the tissues to the invading pathogens and in the development of cancers, auto-inflammatory, metabolic, and neurodegenerative diseases. Inflammasomes are among the first multiprotein structures that sense nanoparticles and establish an inflammatory response which can later cause a novel form of cell death called Proptosis. This response is dependent on physicochemical and acquired biological features of nanoparticle (e.g. size, shape, composition of bio-corona on the surface of nanoparticles). Further research must be concentrated on how nanoparticles are capable of activating inflammasomes and how the inflammasome-based responses can be reduced by tailored design and synthesis of nanomaterials.