title: Toxicity assessment and bioaccumulation in zebrafish embryos exposed to carbon nanotubes suspended in Pluronic® F-108.
abstract: Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are often suspended in Pluronic® surfactants by sonication, which may confound toxicity studies because sonication of surfactants can create degradation products that are toxic to mammalian cells. Here, we present a toxicity assessment of Pluronic® F-108 with and without suspended CNTs using embryonic zebrafish as an in vivo model. Pluronic® sonolytic degradation products were toxic to zebrafish embryos just as they were to mammalian cells. When the toxic Pluronic® fragments were removed, there was little effect of pristine multi-walled CNTs (pMWNTs), carboxylated MWNTs (cMWNTs) or pristine single-walled carbon nanotubes (pSWNTs) on embryo viability and development, even at high concentrations. A gel electrophoretic method coupled with Raman imaging was developed to measure the bioaccumulation of CNTs by zebrafish embryos, and dose-dependent uptake of CNTs was observed. These data indicate that embryos accumulate pMWNTs, cMWNTs and pSWNTs yet there is very little embryo toxicity.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Biological Sciences and .|b Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry , University of Texas at Dallas , Richardson , TX , USA .
authors.forename: Ruhung
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: c Department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology , and.
authors.forename: Alicea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: N Meredith
authors.affiliation: b Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry , University of Texas at Dallas , Richardson , TX , USA .
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: a Department of Biological Sciences and .
authors.forename: Dakota
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Deutsch
authors.affiliation: b Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry , University of Texas at Dallas , Richardson , TX , USA .
authors.forename: Lizaveta
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Miadzvedskaya
authors.affiliation: b Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry , University of Texas at Dallas , Richardson , TX , USA .
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Braun
authors.affiliation: b Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry , University of Texas at Dallas , Richardson , TX , USA .
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pantano
authors.affiliation: c Department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology , and.|d School of Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering, Oregon State University , Corvallis , OR , USA.
authors.forename: Stacey
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Harper
authors.affiliation: a Department of Biological Sciences and .|b Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry , University of Texas at Dallas , Richardson , TX , USA .
authors.forename: Rockford
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Draper
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D047108:Embryonic Development / Q000187:drug effects*; D008264:Macrophages / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity*; D020442:Poloxamer / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D013010:Sonication; D013499:Surface Properties; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon; D020442:Poloxamer
keywords: Environmental toxicology; ecotoxicology; nanotoxicology; nanotubes; toxicology