NANOTOXICOLOGICAL STUDIES OF CARBON NANOTUBES IN ZEBRAFISH

MARTINEZ CS; CZARNOWSKI I; IGARTÚA DE; ALONSO SDV; PRIETO MJ

Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires

Congreso; Reunión Conjunta de Sociedades de Biociencias; 2017

Sociedad Argentina de Biofísica

Carbon nanotubes are graphene sheet structures with a strikingmechanical strength, chemical stability, exceptional electrical andthermal conductivity. Its application in constantly growing, rangingfrom printer inks to drug delivery systems. Since the physicochemicalproperties of the compounds vary when they are produced atnanoscale, and that the environmental systems are dynamic, it isnot possible to predict the hazards associated with the release ofnanomaterials into the environment both for human and ecosystemhealth. So, it is necessary to carry out a comprehensive analysis ofthe toxicity of water and effluents by studying the behavior of newtechnologies in ecosystems.In this work, toxicological assays of multiple wall carbon nanotubes(MWCNTs) of different dimension were done (MWCNT A is shortand width, MWCNT B is large and thin). Zebrafish were used asbiomarkers due to their short development times. Tests done wereacute toxicity (mortality), teratogenicity (hatching rate and morphology),general developmental anomalies and tissue-specific toxicity(morphology and functioning of brain, heart and liver).Zebrafish embryo were incubated with 0.005-50 ppm MWCNTs,then mortality, hatching rate and morphology were evaluated. Zebrafishlarvae were incubated with 0.005-50 ppm MWCNTs, nextmorphology (bent spine, jaw malformation, head opacity, liver opacity,yolk opacity, small head, tail malformation, and uninflated swimbladder) and functioning of brain and heart and were analyzed. NoMWCNT was found to be lethal or teratogenic at the concentrationsevaluated, although MWCNT A caused morphological abnormalitiesin larval development. On the other hand, both MWCNTs reducedthe swimming activity of the zebrafish at different concentrations,whereas no changes in heart rate were observed.Results were different for both carbon nanotubes, indicating a potentialdissimilar toxicity between MWCNTs, which could be due tothe different dimensions