Short- and Long-Term Effects of Prenatal Exposure to Iron Oxide Nanoparticles: Influence of Surface Charge and Dose on Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Kristin R. Di Bona¹  Yaolin Xu²  Marquita Gray¹  Douglas Fair¹  Hunter Hayles¹  Luckie Milad¹  Alex Montes¹  Jennifer Sherwood²  Yuping Bao²  Jane F. Rasco¹  Anna Cristina S. Samia³ 

[1] Department of Biological Sciences, the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA;Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA;;Department of Biological Sciences, the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA

关键词: iron oxide;    nanoparticles;    developmental toxicity;    fetotoxicity;    surface charge;    nanotoxicity;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijms161226231

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Iron oxide nanoparticles (NPs) are commonly utilized for biomedical, industrial, and commercial applications due to their unique properties and potential biocompatibility. However, little is known about how exposure to iron oxide NPs may affect susceptible populations such as pregnant women and developing fetuses. To examine the influence of NP surface-charge and dose on the developmental toxicity of iron oxide NPs, Crl:CD1(ICR) (CD-1) mice were exposed to a single, low (10 mg/kg) or high (100 mg/kg) dose of positively-charged polyethyleneimine-Fe₂O₃-NPs (PEI-NPs), or negatively-charged poly(acrylic acid)-Fe₂O₃-NPs (PAA-NPs) during critical windows of organogenesis (gestation day (GD) 8, 9, or 10). A low dose of NPs, regardless of charge, did not induce toxicity. However, a high exposure led to charge-dependent fetal loss as well as morphological alterations of the uteri (both charges) and testes (positive only) of surviving offspring. Positively-charged PEI-NPs given later in organogenesis resulted in a combination of short-term fetal loss (42%) and long-term alterations in reproduction, including increased fetal loss for second generation matings (mice exposed in utero). Alternatively, negatively-charged PAA-NPs induced fetal loss (22%) earlier in organogenesis to a lesser degree than PEI-NPs with only mild alterations in offspring uterine histology observed in the long-term.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.