Real-world carbon nanoparticle exposures induce brain and gonadal alterations in zebrafish (Danio rerio) as determined by biospectroscopy techniques

Abstract

Carbon-based nanoparticles (CNPs) have emerged as novel man-made materials with diverse applications, which may present significant risks to organisms. To bridge the gap in our knowledge of nanotoxicology, a number of in vitro or in vivo studies have been carried out. However, toxicity data remains limited. Herein, we employed a biospectroscopy approach to assess CNP-induced effects in zebrafish (Danio rerio). Zebrafish were exposed to Fullerene (C60), long or short multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), or single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) for 21 days at two concentrations: 0.1 mg L(-1) or 0.001 mg L(-1). Following exposure, the brain, gills, gonads and liver from zebrafish were interrogated by attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) or Raman spectroscopy. Computational analysis was then applied to the acquired infrared (IR) spectra, and distinct biochemical segregations between the exposed tissues vs. control were observed with spectral biomarkers of alterations identified. In addition, lipid-to-protein ratios in all four tissues were calculated by the IR spectra; unsaturated lipid levels in brain and gonad were assessed by Raman spectroscopy. Marked lipid alterations were observed. These findings show that biospectroscopy approaches have the potential to detect CNP-induced biochemical alterations in zebrafish.

Zebrafish: A complete animal model to enumerate the nanoparticle toxicity

“…Another study performed by Li et al [126] revealed CNT-induced biochemical alterations in zebrafish. They further demonstrated that CNT exposures can stimulate the brain and gonadal alterations.…”

Determination of nanoparticle localisation within subcellular organelles in vitro using Raman spectroscopy

“…In particular, vibrational spectroscopic techniques such as Infrared absorption (IR) and Raman spectroscopy have been widely used for the localisation studies of nanoparticles 28,[30][31][32] . Although IR spectroscopy can provide important information about the localisation of nanoparticles inside the cell, its limited spatial resolution can be a problem.…”

Diet-sourced carbon-based nanoparticles induce lipid alterations in tissues of zebrafish (Danio rerio) with genomic hypermethylation changes in brain

“…There were 15 randomly assigned tanks for total exposure (control and treatment with each CBN at 0.1 mg L −1 in triplicate). Exposure concentration was chosen based on previous in vitro studies (2), which showed that, speculated real-world environmental levels induced alterations in exposed cell populations are detectable by biospectroscopy techniques (3, 4). To minimize contamination, fish were only fed in the morning every day; in the afternoon, each tank was cleaned to remove fish faeces and food remains by siphoning the water out of the tanks.…”

“…They may surround or further penetrate into subcellular structures such as lysosomes. The consequences of such effects might be the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), rupture of organelles with consequent leakage of degradative enzymes or effects on the lipidome (2,4). Understanding the effects on the lipidome is of crucial interest, because lipids play essential roles in energy production and storage and cell membrane development (5,6), and thus, their study can aid in understanding the pathogenesis of many disease states.…”