The Study
Effects of metal oxide nanoparticles on healthy and psoriasis-like human epidermal keratinocytes in vitro
This study tested nanoparticles on skin cells in a lab dish, not on real people. It shows what might happen to cells if they touched these particles, but it doesn't prove that using lotion with nanoparticles will hurt anyone.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
Scientists tested tiny zinc particles in sunscreen on skin cells—some healthy, some like psoriasis. The zinc hurt the psoriasis cells way more, even though it didn’t go deep into the body.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 57 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1These concentrations are higher than normal sunscreen use, but if skin is damaged or exposed often, it could matter for people with psoriasis.
- 2Zinc nanoparticles hurt psoriasis-like skin cells at 0.5–500 µg/ml—more than titanium or silica.
- 3They caused cell stress, inflammation, and cut a protective protein (trappin-2) only in diseased cells.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Archives of Toxicology
Year
2024
Authors
Li Yi Tan, M. I. Setyawati, Kee Woei Ng
Related Content
Claims (6)
Zinc oxide nanoparticles in the range of 0.5 to 500 micrograms per milliliter cause increased oxidative stress, decreased cell survival, and activation of the inflammasome pathway in human skin cells grown in the lab, with stronger effects in cells modeled to resemble psoriatic skin.
Zinc oxide nanoparticles cause a specific molecular change in skin cells from psoriasis-affected tissue that does not occur in healthy skin cells.
Zinc oxide nanoparticles increase the production of certain signaling molecules involved in tissue restructuring in skin cells from psoriasis-affected tissue, but not in normal skin cells.
Under the same laboratory conditions, zinc oxide nanoparticles kill more human skin cells than titanium dioxide or silica nanoparticles.
Zinc oxide nanoparticles trigger biological changes in skin cells under laboratory conditions at concentrations higher than those normally found on human skin, suggesting that real-world risk is low unless exposure is prolonged or the skin barrier is damaged.
When applied to the skin, zinc oxide and titanium dioxide do not absorb into the bloodstream.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.