Zinc oxide nanoparticles induce necrotic-like cell death and energy depletion on SH-SY5Y cells

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) are widely used in sun screens, food packaging, antimicrobial and medical products. However, it is one of the most toxic among other metal oxide nanoparticles due to indirect involvement of dissolute Zn2+ ions while inducing oxidative stress, upregulate pro-apoptotic factors and eventually cell death. ZnO-NPs were able to internalise into human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells and dissolute Zn2+ ions while inducing energy depletion and membrane damage with the release of lactate dehydrogenase. Furthermore, shot gun proteomics and pathway analyser identified glycolysis and gluconeogenesis as the possible pathways that ZnO-NPs could induce necrotic-like cell death in SH-SY5Y cells.