Effects of copper oxide nanoparticles on developing zebrafish embryos and larvae

Abstract

Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) are used for a variety of purposes in a wide range of commercially available products. Some CuO NPs probably end up in the aquatic systems, thus raising concerns about aqueous exposure toxicity, and the impact of CuO NPs on liver development and neuronal differentiation remains unclear. In this study, particles were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectra, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. Zebrafish embryos were continuously exposed to CuO NPs from 4 hours postfertilization at concentrations of 50, 25, 12.5, 6.25, or 1 mg/L. The expression of gstp1 and cyp1a was examined by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The expression of tumor necrosis factor alpha and superoxide dismutase 1 was examined by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting. Liver development and retinal neurodifferentiation were analyzed by whole-mount in situ hybridization, hematoxylin–eosin staining, and immunohistochemistry, and a behavioral test was performed to track the movement of larvae. We show that exposure of CuO NPs at low doses has little effect on embryonic development. However, exposure to CuO NPs at concentrations of 12.5 mg/L or higher leads to abnormal phenotypes and induces an inflammatory response in a dose-dependent pattern. Moreover, exposure to CuO NPs at high doses results in an underdeveloped liver and a delay in retinal neurodifferentiation accompanied by reduced locomotor ability. Our data demonstrate that short-term exposure to CuO NPs at high doses shows hepatotoxicity and neurotoxicity in zebrafish embryos and larvae.

Xiaoaiping Induces Developmental Toxicity in Zebrafish Embryos Through Activation of ER Stress, Apoptosis and the Wnt Pathway

“…As yet, the behavioral aspects of XAP exposure have not been reported. In this study, the swimming behavior was evaluated by determining the total movement distance, velocity, total amount of turning, high-speed movement time, medium-speed movement time, and slow-speed movement time ( Sun et al, 2016 ). The total movement distance, velocity, and total amount of turning decreased significantly in the exposed larvae in a dose-dependent manner.…”

“…This is the first study to demonstrate that XAP exposure at high doses results in reduced locomotion ability. It has been reported that alterations in larval behavior might be related to central nervous system (CNS) damage ( Duan et al, 2013 ; Sun et al, 2016 ). Additionally, the deficiency of the swim bladder may be the main cause of the decrease in movement ability.…”

<p>Celecoxib Exerts a Therapeutic Effect Against Demyelination by Improving the Immune and Inflammatory Microenvironments</p>

“…Immunohistochemistry was performed as previously described. 18 The primary antibodies were an anti-GFP antibody (1:500; ab6556, Abcam, Cambridge, MA, USA), which was used to label oligodendrocytes in Tg (mbp:nfsB-egfp) zebrafish, and an anti-COX-2 antibody (1:200; 55070-1-1AP, Proteintech, Chicago, IL, USA). The secondary antibody was a FITC-conjugated antibody (1:500; Millipore, Billerica, MA, USA).…”

Zebrafish (Danio rerio) as an ecotoxicological model for Nanomaterial induced toxicity profiling

“…). An investigation has explained that the zebrafish neuronal differentiation and liver maturation are affected by CuO NPs (Sun et al, 2016). The experiment results reported that unwanted circumstances like neurotoxicity and hepatotoxicity were observed in embryonic and larval zebrafish when exposed to high doses of CuO NPs for a shorter period.…”