A high throughput imaging database of toxicological effects of nanomaterials tested on HepaRG cells.

The large amount of existing nanomaterials demands rapid and reliable methods for testing their potential toxicological effect on human health, preferably by means of relevant in vitro techniques in order to reduce testing on animals. Combining high throughput workflows with automated high content imaging techniques allows deriving much more information from cell-based assays than the typical readouts (i.e. one measurement per well) with optical plate-readers. We present here a dataset including data based on a maximum of 14 different read outs (including viable cell count, cell membrane permeability, apoptotic cell death, mitochondrial membrane potential and steatosis) of the human hepatoma HepaRG cell line treated with a large set of nanomaterials, coatings and supernatants at different concentrations. The database, given its size, can be utilized in the development of in silico hazard assessment and prediction tools or can be combined with toxicity results from other in vitro test systems.

Iron oxide nanoparticle toxicity testing using high-throughput analysis and high-content imaging.

Applying validated in vitro assays to the study of nanoparticle toxicity is a growing trend in nanomaterial risk assessment. Precise characterisation of reference nanomaterials and a well-regulated in vitro testing system are required to determine the physicochemical descriptors which dictate the toxic potential of nanoparticles. The use of automated, high-throughput technologies to facilitate the identification and prioritisation of nanomaterials which could pose a risk is desirable and developments are underway. In this study, two mammalian fibroblast lines (Balb/c 3T3 and COS-1 cells) were treated with a range of concentrations of iron oxide nanomaterials manufactured for use in medical diagnostics, using an automated platform and high-content-imaging endpoints for cell viability, oxidative stress and DNA damage (double-strand breaks). At the same time, the high-throughput comet assay was employed to measure DNA strand breaks and oxidised bases. Our results show that these methods provide a fast way to determine the toxicity of coated and uncoated iron oxide nanoparticles and, furthermore, to predict the mechanism of toxicity in vitro.