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Review
. 2017 Oct;9(5):775-791.
doi: 10.1007/s12551-017-0294-2. Epub 2017 Sep 7.

Relation between biophysical properties of nanostructures and their toxicity on zebrafish

C S Martinez  1 , D E Igartúa  1 , M N Calienni  1 , D A Feas  1 , M Siri  1 , J Montanari  1 , N S Chiaramoni  1 , S Del V Alonso  2 , M J Prieto  3
Affiliations
Review

Relation between biophysical properties of nanostructures and their toxicity on zebrafish

C S Martinez et al. Biophys Rev. 2017 Oct.

Abstract

In recent years, the use of commercial nanoparticles in different industry and health fields has increased exponentially. However, the uncontrolled application of nanoparticles might present a potential risk to the environment and health. Toxicity of these nanoparticles is usually evaluated by a fast screening assay in zebrafish (Danio rerio). The use of this vertebrate animal model has grown due to its small size, great adaptability, high fertilization rate and fast external development of transparent embryos. In this review, we describe the toxicity of different micro- and nanoparticles (carbon nanotubes, dendrimers, emulsions, liposomes, metal nanoparticles, and solid lipid nanoparticles) associated to their biophysical properties using this model. The main biophysical properties studied are size, charge and surface potential due to their impact on the environment and health effects. The review also discusses the correlation of the effects of the different nanoparticles on zebrafish. Special focus is made on morphological abnormalities, altered development and abnormal behavior. The last part of the review debates changes that should be made in future directions in order to improve the use of the zebrafish model to assess nanotoxicity.

Keywords: Biophysical properties; Nanostructures; Np; Toxicity; Zebrafish.

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Conflict of interest statement

C.S. Martinez declares that she has no conflicts of interest. D.E. Igartúa declares that he has no conflicts of interest. M.N. Calienni declares that she has no conflicts of interest. D.A. Feas declares that she has no conflicts of interest. M. Siri declares that she has no conflicts of interest. J. Montanari declares that he has no conflicts of interest. N.S. Chiaramoni declares that she has no conflicts of interest. S.delV. Alonso declares that she has no conflicts of interest. M.J. Prieto declares that she has no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are structures of rolled graphene sheets, composed of a single wall (SWCNT) or multi-walls (MWCNT)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Dendrimers are formed by a core, repeating branched units attached to the core and terminals functional groups attached to the outermost shell. Examples of core- and terminal group-types, and generation 3.0 dendrimers
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Schematic representation of the different types of emulsions where the drop inside, the continuous phase and the interphase positioned between them are represented
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Proposed model for lipopolymers formed with 1,2-bis (10,12-tricosadinoyl)-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DC8,9PC) and 1,2-dimirystoil-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) in a 1:1 M ratio(Temprana et al. 2010)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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