摘要：The industrial production and use of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) have greatly increased in recent years. Their small size (1 to 100 nm) gives them new electronic, magnetic, optical, or electrical properties that are useful in numerous applications (such as photovoltaic panels and power cables in the energy field). However, these properties may also make them toxic, and this hazardous potential is still assessed on a case-by-case basis ( in vitro and in vivo studies). The sharp rise of new ENMs makes this kind of assessment slow and inefficient and thus requires that it be replaced by alternative methods, such as like “structure-activity” modeling ((Q)SAR models). (Q)SAR is commonly used for chemicals and is now being introduced for ENMs. Our review of the latest developments in the (Q)SAR models applied to metal oxide ENMs found that 15 models have been built to predict their toxicity. Analysis of these models reveals a lack of harmonization regarding descriptors (26 descriptors have been found, some stemming from characterization of physicochemical parameters, and others from calculation of “theoretical” descriptors). It also shows that neither the toxicological models nor the formulation of biological and toxicological effects have been standardized. Therefore collaboration between researchers is needed to harmonize practices and develop a simpler standardized model that could help to assess the toxicity of metal oxide nanomaterials.
关键词：nanostructures/toxicology; metal nanoparticles; structure-activity relationship
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