在讨论了工程纳米材料(ENM)及其物理化学性质和应用的简短背景之后,本观点论文强调了在研究纳米材料的神经毒性问题时需要考虑的主要具体要点。它强调了整合参数的必要性,特定的工具,和来自多种来源的测试,当应用于纳米材料时,神经毒理学特别复杂。汇集多个学科的知识,例如,纳米毒理学到神经毒理学,在21世纪的第三个十年建立综合神经毒理学是必要的。本文重点介绍这一特定领域提供的最大挑战和机遇。它强调了科学,方法论,政治,监管,和教育问题。科学和方法上的挑战包括确定ENM的物理化学参数,缺乏有关蛋白质电晕作用方式的信息,靶器官,和ENM的细胞和剂量反应功能。还解决了数据收集标准化和专用神经毒理学方案协调的需求。本文重点介绍了如何通过创新的方法和工具来应对这些挑战,我们的工作还冒险勾勒出第一批应该紧急优先用于人类现代神经毒理学的物质清单。最后,在国家和国际两级提供专项资金的政治支持也必须用于吸引有关社区在这一新颖领域建立专门的教育计划。
After a short background discussing engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) and their physicochemical properties and applications, the present perspective paper highlights the main specific points that need to be considered when examining the question of neurotoxicity of nanomaterials. It underlines the necessity to integrate parameters, specific tools, and tests from multiple sources that make neurotoxicology when applied to nanomaterials particularly complex. Bringing together the knowledge of multiple disciplines e.g., nanotoxicology to neurotoxicology, is necessary to build integrated neurotoxicology for the third decade of the 21st Century. This article focuses on the greatest challenges and opportunities offered by this specific field. It highlights the scientific, methodological, political, regulatory, and educational issues. Scientific and methodological challenges include the determination of ENMs physicochemical parameters, the lack of information about protein corona modes of action, target organs, and cells and dose- response functions of ENMs. The need of standardization of data collection and harmonization of dedicated neurotoxicological protocols are also addressed. This article highlights how to address those challenges through innovative methods and tools, and our work also ventures to sketch the first list of substances that should be urgently prioritized for human modern neurotoxicology. Finally, political support with dedicated funding at the national and international levels must also be used to engage the communities concerned to set up dedicated educational program on this novel field.