title: Nanotoxicology using the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis: from developmental toxicity to genotoxicology.
abstract: Concomitant with the fast-growing advances in the synthesis and engineering of colloidal nanocrystals, an urgent evaluation of their toxicity on human beings and environment is strongly encouraged by public health organisations. Despite the in vitro approaches employed for toxicological screening of hazardous compounds, the use of simple and cost-effective living organisms may enormously contribute to solve unanswered questions related to embryotoxic and teratogenic effects of nanomaterials. Here, the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis (Cnidaria, Anthozoa) is presented as a novel model organism to profile bio/non-bio interactions and to show a comprehensive toxicological analysis performed on embryos, larvae and adults treated with fluorescent cadmium-based nanocrystals. Spanning from in vivo biodistribution to molecular investigations, different behaviours and effects depending on the composition and surface coatings are showed. Rod-shaped cadmium selenide/cadmium sulfide (CdSe/CdS) nanocrystals resulted in excellent imaging probes to track N. vectensis development with negligible adverse effects, while spherical CdTe nanocrystals severely impaired embryogenesis, resulting in aberrant phenotypes and deregulation of developmental genes, which raise severe worries for a safe use of this type of nanoparticles for human purposes and environmental contamination.
authors: Istituto di Cibernetica "E.Caianiello", Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche , Pozzuoli , Italy.
authors: Alfredo
authors: A
authors: Ambrosone
authors: Valentina
authors: V
authors: Marchesano
authors: Veronica
authors: V
authors: Mazzarella
authors: Claudia
authors: C
authors: Tortiglione
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019187:Cadmium Compounds / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000633:toxicity; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000187:drug effects*; D007814:Larva / Q000187:drug effects; D008675:Metamorphosis, Biological / Q000187:drug effects*; D009152:Mutagenicity Tests; D050997:Nanomedicine; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000633:toxicity*; D045663:Quantum Dots; D012098:Reproduction / Q000187:drug effects; D012615:Sea Anemones / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D018036:Selenium Compounds / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000633:toxicity; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D019187:Cadmium Compounds; D018036:Selenium Compounds; C058667:cadmium selenide