Dr. Monteiro-Riviere\'s research interests include nanotoxicology, percutaneous absorption of topically applied drugs, chemicals and nanoparticles, dermal absorption and cutaneous toxicology of chemical mixtures, and transdermal drug delivery. Most recent interests are the impact of engineered nanomaterials on human health and the environment. This research begins to assess the nature of interaction between manufactured/engineered nanoparticles and the skin; including dermal absorption, cutaneous toxicity as well as the ability to distribute to the skin after systemic exposure. These studies include cadmium selenide quantum dots, fullerenes, single and multi-walled carbon nanotubes, silver, aluminum, titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, different formulations of sunscreens, and other nanoparticles that are representative of the broad spectrum of nanoparticles presently being used by industry and the consumer. Our laboratory will provide boundaries of a dermal risk assessment for manufactured nanomaterials (MNM) exposure. Another interest along with colleagues is to develop a biologically-relevant metric of the potential for MN to interact with biological systems. We term this the Biological Surface Adsorption Index (BSAI). Our hypothesis is that different degrees of particle agglomeration or interactions with proteins in exposure media will result in markedly different BSAI that will correlate to altered cellular uptake or biodistribution under similar exposure conditions. We will characterize and identify proteins that nanomaterials interact with through proteomic analysis, and determine any material-specific patterns. Currently, we are studying the biological effects and cellular uptake processes of MNM using a well-characterized in vitro cell line, the human epidermal keratinocyte (HEK). Knowledge of biodistribution of nanomaterials in an isolated perfused skin model will provide data that could be used to predict tissue distribution after systemic exposure. A capstone analysis will be conducted correlating the relationship between the parameters defined from the conditions above. Specifically, the relation of different BSAI of the MNM studied relative to HEK or uptake in perfused skin will shed light on the usefulness of this parameter as compared to traditional methods of characterization (concentration, charge density, particle number distributions, and hydrophobicity).
