Abstract

A systematic and thorough quantitative analysis of the in vivo effects of inorganic nanoparticles isextremely important for the design of functional nanomaterials for diagnostic and therapeutic applications,better understanding of their non-specificity toward tissues and cell types, and for assessments oftheir toxicity. This study was undertaken to examine the impact of CdTe quantum dots (QDs) on aninvertebrate freshwater model organism, Hydra vulgaris, for assessment of long term toxicity effects. Thecontinuous exposure of living polyps to sub-lethal doses of QDs caused time and dose dependentmorphological damages more severe than Cd2þ ions at the same concentrations, impaired both reproductiveand regenerative capability, activated biochemical and molecular responses. Of remarkableinterest, low QD doses, apparently not effective, caused early changes in the expression of general stressresponsive and apoptotic genes. The occurrence of subtle genetic variations, in the absence ofmorphological damages, indicates the importance of genotoxicity studies for nanoparticle risk assessment.The versatility in morphological, cellular, biochemical and molecular responses renders Hydraa perfect model system for high-throughput screening of toxicological and ecotoxicological impact ofnanomaterials on human and environmental health.

Autore Pugliese

• Quarta Alessandra

Tutti gli autori

• Ambrosone A.; Mattera L.; Marchesano V.; Quarta A.; Susha A.; Tino A.; Rogach A.L.; Tortiglione C.

Titolo volume/Rivista

Biomaterials

Anno di pubblicazione

2012

ISSN

0142-9612

ISBN

Non Disponibile

Numero di citazioni Wos

Nessuna citazione

Ultimo Aggiornamento Citazioni

Non Disponibile

Numero di citazioni Scopus

Non Disponibile

Ultimo Aggiornamento Citazioni

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Settori ERC

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Codici ASJC

Non Disponibile