The localization
of nanoparticles
in the intracellular space may be directed using peptides such as the mitochondrial localization
sequence. If a nanoparticle is engineered to escape the endolysosomal system, it can enter the cytosol,
where it is free to interact with awide number of organelles and can affect cell behavior. Once
in the cytosol, nanoparticles can elicit biological responses by disrupting mitochondrial function,
eliciting production of reactive oxygen species and activation of the oxidative stress-mediated signaling
cascade