Nanomaterials used in implant technology and their toxicity

The use of nanomaterials in materials science and engineering has provided the modern world an enhanced inventory of products due to the nanomaterials' unique physicochemical properties. The similar size scale between nanomaterials and biological molecules has opened up many application areas in life sciences such as drug delivery, gene therapy, and tissue engineering. Moreover, the surface and mechanical properties of these novel materials have allowed enhanced biocompatibility and strength. Therefore, they have been extensively investigated for their applications in implants and tissue engineering. The most widely used nanomaterials in these fields are titanium, silver and polymeric nanoparticles, and carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Although these nanomaterials are widely used in the mentioned areas, there is no consensus about their toxicity yet. Therefore, their toxicity should be carefully considered before using these nanomaterials. This chapter aims to summarize the toxicity of nanomaterials used in tissue engineering and implant technology.