Few data are available for what the effects of nanoparticles exposure in marine organisms are concerned. In the last decades, the sea urchin has been used for innovative toxicity tests, aimed at studying the hazard of different contaminants in laboratory conditions. In order to test the distribution and effects of different metallic nanoparticles (NPs) in Paracentrotus lividus adult tissues, specimens were exposed in triplicate to 4 kinds of NPs (SiO2, CeO2, SnO2 and Fe3O4), by feeding the adults with algae containing NPs at concentration of 10 -5 particles/litre. We studied: a) the putative NPs passage to the circulatory system and uptake by immune cells (coelomocytes); b) the presence of NPs in gonads and effects on gametes morphology and functionality; c) effects on cellular stress and pro-apoptotic proteins in coelomocytes. The presence and chemical characterization of NPs present in tissues were detected by means of FEG- ESEM (Field Emission GunEnvironmental Scanning Electron Microscope) coupled with EDS (Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy). Gonads morphological features were analyzed by histology followed by light microscopy. The expression of stress proteins was evaluated by WB and immunocytochemistry. Observation showed that NPs were present inside coelomocytes 5 days after their forced ingestion, indicating the NPs ability to cross the intestine barrier, and to be phagocitosized by macrophage-like coelomocytes. Defects were detected in the morphology of gonads structure, mainly at the expenses of the testis cells, suggesting that NPs pass through the coelomic wall, since gonads are found retroperitoneally in sea urchins as in all deuterostoms. Effects on the expression of stress proteins as biomarkers of metal NPs exposure were found according to their chemical nature in whole coelomocytes populations. Results obtained in this preliminary study indicate that NPs are taken up by the digestive system, transferred to the coelomic fluid and then uptaken by coelomocytes and/or gonads.
Ingested metal nanoparticles pass through intestine epithelia and enter immune cells and gonads of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus
Pinsino Annalisa;Valeria Matranga
2011
Abstract
Few data are available for what the effects of nanoparticles exposure in marine organisms are concerned. In the last decades, the sea urchin has been used for innovative toxicity tests, aimed at studying the hazard of different contaminants in laboratory conditions. In order to test the distribution and effects of different metallic nanoparticles (NPs) in Paracentrotus lividus adult tissues, specimens were exposed in triplicate to 4 kinds of NPs (SiO2, CeO2, SnO2 and Fe3O4), by feeding the adults with algae containing NPs at concentration of 10 -5 particles/litre. We studied: a) the putative NPs passage to the circulatory system and uptake by immune cells (coelomocytes); b) the presence of NPs in gonads and effects on gametes morphology and functionality; c) effects on cellular stress and pro-apoptotic proteins in coelomocytes. The presence and chemical characterization of NPs present in tissues were detected by means of FEG- ESEM (Field Emission GunEnvironmental Scanning Electron Microscope) coupled with EDS (Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy). Gonads morphological features were analyzed by histology followed by light microscopy. The expression of stress proteins was evaluated by WB and immunocytochemistry. Observation showed that NPs were present inside coelomocytes 5 days after their forced ingestion, indicating the NPs ability to cross the intestine barrier, and to be phagocitosized by macrophage-like coelomocytes. Defects were detected in the morphology of gonads structure, mainly at the expenses of the testis cells, suggesting that NPs pass through the coelomic wall, since gonads are found retroperitoneally in sea urchins as in all deuterostoms. Effects on the expression of stress proteins as biomarkers of metal NPs exposure were found according to their chemical nature in whole coelomocytes populations. Results obtained in this preliminary study indicate that NPs are taken up by the digestive system, transferred to the coelomic fluid and then uptaken by coelomocytes and/or gonads.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
