title: An assessment of the impact of SiO2 nanoparticles of different sizes on the rest/wake behavior and the developmental profile of zebrafish larvae.
abstract: In this study, zebrafish larvae are introduced as an in vivo platform to examine the neurotoxicity and developmental toxicity associated with continuous exposure to a concentration gradient of different sizes of SiO2 nanoparticles (15 nm and 50 nm diameter) to determine the dose effect and size effect of SiO2 nanoparticle (NP)-induced toxicity. Bovine serum albumin (BSA-V) is utilized as a stabilizing agent to prevent coagulation of the SiO2 nanoparticles. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to describe locomotor activity assays linking rest/wake behavioral profiles for the purpose of investigating the neurotoxicity of NPs. In addition, developmental toxicological endpoints including mortality, LC50 , malformation, and cartilaginous deformity are assessed. The results show a concentration-dependent increase in behavioral neurotoxicity, mortality, and malformation among larvae treated with the SiO2 nanoparticles of 15 nm and 50 nm. A comparison of the 15 nm and 50 nm NPs by K-means clustering analysis demonstrates that the 15 nm NPs have a greater neurotoxic effect than the 50 nm NPs, with the 50 nm NPs exhibiting greater developmental toxicity on the zebrafish larvae than the 15 nm NPs.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, College of Life Science, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China; Tianjin Key Laboratory on Technologies Enabling, Development of Clinical Therapeutics and Diagnostics, School of Pharmacy, Research Center of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China.
authors.forename: Ji-Yang
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.forename: Xiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Ming-Zhu
authors.initials: MZ
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Ya-Ping
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Chun-Yang
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Ya-Nan
authors.initials: YN
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yao-Shu
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Xi-Zeng
authors.initials: XZ
authors.lastname: Feng
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D007814:Larva / Q000187:drug effects; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000633:toxicity*; D012822:Silicon Dioxide / Q000633:toxicity*; D014851:Wakefulness / Q000187:drug effects; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000002:abnormalities
chemical_list: D012822:Silicon Dioxide
keywords: SiO2 nanoparticles; behavioral neurotoxicity; developmental toxicity; zebrafish larvae