Nanoparticles have had a bad rap lately over fears about their toxicity. Now, though, it seems the particles also have a kinder side. Cerium oxide nanoparticles have been shown to protect nerve cells from damage and so might one day be used to treat patients with spinal injuries or stroke.

When the spinal cord is damaged, or part of the brain is starved of oxygen, the initial injury soon escalates and neighbouring cells begin to die. Many fall victim to oxidative damage from free radicals, which are released as the immune system goes into inflammatory overdrive to clear up the mess.

Last year, a team led by neurobiologist David Schubert of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California, showed that cerium oxide nanoparticles can protect cultures of mouse brain cells from oxidative damage (Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, vol 342, p 86). The researchers also found that ...