Nanoparticles: Transport across the olfactory epithelium and application to the assessment of brain function in health and disease

The exciting advances within nanotechnology are beginning to be harnessed by the medical field. Nanoparticles have been used for drug delivery into the brain and have been explored for imaging, sensing, and analytical purposes. The science of nanoparticles encompasses a vast array of biological, chemical, physical, and engineering research, different aspects of which are specifically addressed in each of the chapters of this volume. Nanomaterials such as nanospheres, nanotubes, nanowires, fullerene derivatives (buckyballs), and quantum dots (Qdots) are at the forefront of scientific attention, as they provide new consumer products and advance the scientific development of novel analytical tools in medicine and in the physical sciences. This chapter will briefly survey some aspects of nanoparticle biology focusing on the following: (1) the role of olfactory nanoparticle transport into the central nervous system (CNS), both as a potential route for effective drug delivery and as a route for the passage of noxious substances into the brain proper; (2) nanoparticles as sensors of cell function and toxicity; and (3) some adverse effects of nanoparticles on the dysregulation of brain redox status.