title: Toxicity Evaluation of a New Zn-Doped CuO Nanocomposite With Highly Effective Antibacterial Properties.
abstract: The increased resistances to conventional antibiotics determine a strong need for new antibacterials, and specific syntheses at the nanoscale promise to be helpful in this field. A novel Zinc-doped Copper oxide nanocomposite (nZn-CuO) has been recently sonochemically synthesized and successfully tested also against multi-drug resistant bacteria. After synthesis and characterization of the physicochemical properties, the new nZn-CuO is here evaluated by the Frog Embyo Teratogenesis Assay-Xenopus test for its toxicological potential and this compared with that of nCuO and nZnO synthesized under the same conditions. No lethal effects are observed, while malformations and growth retardation slightly increase after nZn-CuO exposure. Nevertheless, these effects are smaller than those of nZnO. NP uptake by embryo tissues increase significantly with increasing NP concentrations, while no significant accumulation and adverse effects are seen after exposure to soluble Cu(2+) and Zn(2+) at the concentrations dissolved from the NPs. Key oxidative response genes are upregulated by nZn-CuO, as well as by nCuO and nZnO, suggesting the common mechanism of action. Considering the enhanced biocidal activity shown by the nanocomposite, together with the results presented in this study, we can affirm that the doping of the metal oxide nanoparticles should be considered a useful tool to engineer a safer nano-antibacterial.
authors.affiliation: *Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Research Center POLARIS, University of Milano Bicocca, I-20126, Milan, Italy, Department of Chemistry and Nanomaterials, Bar-Ilan University Center for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, Ramat-Gan, Israel, Department of Physics, Research Center POLARIS, University of Milano Bicocca, I-20126, Milan, Italy, Department of Life Sciences, University of Milan, I-20133, Milan, Italy and Department of Materials Science & Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 8 70101, Taiwan paride.mantecca@unimib.it.
authors.forename: Paride
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mantecca
authors.affiliation: *Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Research Center POLARIS, University of Milano Bicocca, I-20126, Milan, Italy, Department of Chemistry and Nanomaterials, Bar-Ilan University Center for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, Ramat-Gan, Israel, Department of Physics, Research Center POLARIS, University of Milano Bicocca, I-20126, Milan, Italy, Department of Life Sciences, University of Milan, I-20133, Milan, Italy and Department of Materials Science & Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 8 70101, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Moschini
authors.affiliation: *Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Research Center POLARIS, University of Milano Bicocca, I-20126, Milan, Italy, Department of Chemistry and Nanomaterials, Bar-Ilan University Center for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, Ramat-Gan, Israel, Department of Physics, Research Center POLARIS, University of Milano Bicocca, I-20126, Milan, Italy, Department of Life Sciences, University of Milan, I-20133, Milan, Italy and Department of Materials Science & Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 8 70101, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Patrizia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bonfanti
authors.affiliation: *Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Research Center POLARIS, University of Milano Bicocca, I-20126, Milan, Italy, Department of Chemistry and Nanomaterials, Bar-Ilan University Center for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, Ramat-Gan, Israel, Department of Physics, Research Center POLARIS, University of Milano Bicocca, I-20126, Milan, Italy, Department of Life Sciences, University of Milan, I-20133, Milan, Italy and Department of Materials Science & Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 8 70101, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Umberto
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Fascio
authors.affiliation: *Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Research Center POLARIS, University of Milano Bicocca, I-20126, Milan, Italy, Department of Chemistry and Nanomaterials, Bar-Ilan University Center for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, Ramat-Gan, Israel, Department of Physics, Research Center POLARIS, University of Milano Bicocca, I-20126, Milan, Italy, Department of Life Sciences, University of Milan, I-20133, Milan, Italy and Department of Materials Science & Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 8 70101, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ilana
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Perelshtein
authors.affiliation: *Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Research Center POLARIS, University of Milano Bicocca, I-20126, Milan, Italy, Department of Chemistry and Nanomaterials, Bar-Ilan University Center for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, Ramat-Gan, Israel, Department of Physics, Research Center POLARIS, University of Milano Bicocca, I-20126, Milan, Italy, Department of Life Sciences, University of Milan, I-20133, Milan, Italy and Department of Materials Science & Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 8 70101, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Anat
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lipovsky
authors.affiliation: *Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Research Center POLARIS, University of Milano Bicocca, I-20126, Milan, Italy, Department of Chemistry and Nanomaterials, Bar-Ilan University Center for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, Ramat-Gan, Israel, Department of Physics, Research Center POLARIS, University of Milano Bicocca, I-20126, Milan, Italy, Department of Life Sciences, University of Milan, I-20133, Milan, Italy and Department of Materials Science & Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 8 70101, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chirico
authors.affiliation: *Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Research Center POLARIS, University of Milano Bicocca, I-20126, Milan, Italy, Department of Chemistry and Nanomaterials, Bar-Ilan University Center for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, Ramat-Gan, Israel, Department of Physics, Research Center POLARIS, University of Milano Bicocca, I-20126, Milan, Italy, Department of Life Sciences, University of Milan, I-20133, Milan, Italy and Department of Materials Science & Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 8 70101, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Renato
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bacchetta
authors.affiliation: *Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Research Center POLARIS, University of Milano Bicocca, I-20126, Milan, Italy, Department of Chemistry and Nanomaterials, Bar-Ilan University Center for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, Ramat-Gan, Israel, Department of Physics, Research Center POLARIS, University of Milano Bicocca, I-20126, Milan, Italy, Department of Life Sciences, University of Milan, I-20133, Milan, Italy and Department of Materials Science & Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 8 70101, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Del Giacco
authors.affiliation: *Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Research Center POLARIS, University of Milano Bicocca, I-20126, Milan, Italy, Department of Chemistry and Nanomaterials, Bar-Ilan University Center for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, Ramat-Gan, Israel, Department of Physics, Research Center POLARIS, University of Milano Bicocca, I-20126, Milan, Italy, Department of Life Sciences, University of Milan, I-20133, Milan, Italy and Department of Materials Science & Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 8 70101, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Colombo
authors.affiliation: *Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Research Center POLARIS, University of Milano Bicocca, I-20126, Milan, Italy, Department of Chemistry and Nanomaterials, Bar-Ilan University Center for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, Ramat-Gan, Israel, Department of Physics, Research Center POLARIS, University of Milano Bicocca, I-20126, Milan, Italy, Department of Life Sciences, University of Milan, I-20133, Milan, Italy and Department of Materials Science & Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 8 70101, Taiwan *Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Research Center POLARIS, University of Milano Bicocca, I-20126, Milan, Italy, Department of Chemistry and Nanomaterials, Bar-Ilan University Center for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, Ramat-Gan, Israel, Department of Physics, Research Center POLARIS, University of Milano Bicocca, I-20126, Milan, Italy, Department of Life Sciences, University of Milan, I-20133, Milan, Italy and Department of Materials Science & Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 8 70101, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Aharon
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gedanken
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D003300:Copper / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity*; D047108:Embryonic Development / Q000187:drug effects; D053761:Nanocomposites; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D015032:Zinc / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D003300:Copper; D015032:Zinc; C030973:cupric oxide
keywords: Xenopus laevis; antibacterials; metal oxide nanoparticles; nanocomposites; nanotoxicology