Characterizing the Nano-Bio Interface Using Microscopic Techniques: Imaging the Cell System is Just as Important as Imaging the Nanoparticle System.

The rapid growth of nanotechnology and its industries has elevated the need to understand the risks associated with handling, using, and disposing of nanomaterials. These risks can be assessed through exposure measurement and hazard identification. One of the common challenges associated with quantifying nanomaterials in products, waste, humans, or the environment is the lack of tools available to measure concentration. The ability of refined tools and techniques to qualitatively detect nanoparticles in complex matrices has been demonstrated. For biological and ecological tests systems, dose can be represented as initial concentration in the applied matrix, concentration administered during the route of exposure, concentration at the target organ, and intake concentration at the cellular level. Each of these concentration measurements requires different sets of tools to perform accurate analyses. Advances in microscopy techniques provide new opportunities for reporting observations occurring at the interaction of a nanoparticle with a biomolecular entity of similar size within a biological test(s) system. This protocol outlines the steps to image nanomaterials within cell-based systems. © 2017 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.