An integrated pipeline and multi-model graphical user interface for accurate nano-dosimetry

Abstract

Accurate dosing of nanoparticles is crucial for risk assessment and for their safe use in medical and other applications. Although it is well-known that nanoparticles sediment, diffuse and aggregate as they move through a fluid, and that therefore the effective dose perceived by cells may not necessarily be that initially administered, dose quantification remains a challenge. This is because to date, methods for accurate dose estimation are difficult to implement, involving precise characterization of the nanomaterial and the exposure system as well as complex mathematical operations. Here we present a pipeline for accurate nano-dosimetry of engineered nanoparticles on cell monolayers, based on an easy-to-use graphical software - DosiGUI - which integrates two well-established particokinetic and particodynamic models. DosiGUI is an open source tool which was developed to facilitate nano-dosimetrics. The pipeline includes methods for determining the stickiness index which describes the affinity between nanoparticles and cells. Our results show that accurate estimations of the effective dose cannot prescind from rigorous characterization of the stickiness index, which depends on both nanoparticle characteristics and cell type.