Relation between biophysical properties of nanostructures and their toxicity on zebrafish

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.

Nano-formulation for topical treatment of precancerous lesions: skin penetration, in vitro, and in vivo toxicological evaluation

“…Liposomes are composed of biocompatible phospholipids that mimic the properties of biological membranes [66]. Until now, Bucci et al [60] and this work are the first in studying the developmental toxicity in zebrafish of formulations involving UDL [67].…”

New Advances in General Biomedical Applications of PAMAM Dendrimers

“…The cytotoxicity is dependent on their concentration, charge, and generation. Cationic derivatives display significant toxicity compared to their neutrally or negatively-charged counterparts, and the cytotoxicity increases along with generation and concentration [ 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 ].…”

“…PAMAM-G3.5 and PAMAM-G4 dendrimers were evaluated in zebrafish models, an established animal model for a nanoparticle toxicity assay [ 23 , 28 ]. PAMAM-G4 with amine terminal groups showed lethal and sublethal parameters, dose, and exposure time-dependence.…”

“…On the other hand, positively charged terminal groups induced mortality (lethal effect) and relevant cardiac impacts, as well as pericardial edema (sublethal effect). According to the authors, the terminal group, the number of generations, and the size of the molecules are related to their toxicities in zebrafish models [ 23 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 ]. For cationic dendrimers, it was verified that more toxicity was present with lower generation and size.…”

Folic acid magnetic nanotheranostics for delivering doxorubicin: Toxicological and biocompatibility studies on Zebrafish embryo and larvae

“…Also, zebrafish is a rapid, high-throughput, cost-effective model since they have a small size, a high fertilization rate and a rapid external development of transparent embryo (Hill et al, 2005). In addition, the cardiovascular, nervous and digestive systems of zebrafish are similar to mammals (Hsu et al, 2007;C. Martinez et al, 2017).…”