Table 1 Mechanisms of action for nanoparticles performing a function useful to animal production
From: Current and future prospects for nanotechnology in animal production
Function | Type of Nanoparticle | Mechanism of Action | References |
|---|---|---|---|
Nutriceuticals | Metal | - feed supplements at the nanoscale are more bioavailable to animals than at a microscale, allowing more interactions to occur in the gut and better absorbance | |
Natural | - nanoparticle additives to food products for human consumption can increase bioavailability | [55] | |
Drug and Nutrient Delivery | Polymer | - can be loaded with traditional antibiotics and may act as a shuttle to release them when in close proximity to a pathogen | |
- metal nanoparticles may be conjugated to polymers for a combined nutrient/biocide delivery approach | |||
Natural | - enclose around nutrients to protect against their degradation in the stomach for maximum intestinal absorption | [21] | |
Nanostructured | -designed to carry nutrients or pharmaceuticals through the gastrointestinal tract for targeted release | ||
Biocides | Metal | - lyse negatively charged Gram + and Gram – bacterial cell walls | |
Polymer | - destabilize bacterial cell walls such that homeostasis is disrupted to a lethal extent | ||
Diagnostic Tools | Metal | - magnetic metal nanoparticles can disperse throughout the body and be imaged via MRI | [60] |
Nanostructured | - fluorescence can be initiated via light activation or two-photon excitation | ||
Reproductive Aids | Nanostructured | - purification of sperm through the removal of damaged spermatozoa via surface markers recognized by nanoparticle-bound antibodies or lectins | |
Molecular Biology Agents | Nanostructured | - gene transfer mediation through interactions between nucleic acids, nanoparticles, and sperm | [81] |
Polymer | - DNA transfection vehicles (as above) | [82] |