Impact of Carbon Nano-Onions on Hydra vulgaris as a Model Organism for Nanoecotoxicology

Nanomaterials

Valentina Marchesano¹  Alfredo Ambrosone¹  Juergen Bartelmess³  Federica Strisciante¹  Angela Tino¹  Luis Echegoyen²  Claudia Tortiglione¹  Silvia Giordani³ 

[1] Nano-Biomolecular Group, Istituto di Scienze Applicate e Sistemi Intelligenti “E.Caianiello”, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Via Campi Flegrei 34, 80078 Pozzuoli, Italy; E-Mails:;Department of Chemistry, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA; E-Mail:;Nano Carbon Materials Lab, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy; E-Mail:

关键词: nanotoxicology;    aquatic organism;    Hydra;    ecotoxicology;    carbon nanomaterials;    fullerenes;   

DOI  :  10.3390/nano5031331

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

The toxicological effects of pristine and chemically modified carbon nano-onions (CNOs) on the development of the freshwater polyp Hydra vulgaris were investigated in order to elucidate the ecotoxicological effects of CNOs. Chemical modifications of the CNOs were accomplished by surface functionalization with benzoic acid, pyridine and pyridinium moieties. thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Raman spectroscopy confirmed the covalent surface functionalization of CNOs. Hydra specimens were exposed to the carbon nanomaterials by prolonged incubation within their medium. Uptake was monitored by optical microscopy, and the toxicological effects of the CNOs on Hydra behavior, morphology, as well as the long-term effects on the development and reproductive capability were examined. The obtained data revealed the absence of adverse effects of CNOs (in the range 0.05–0.1 mg/L) in vivo at the whole animal level. Together with previously performed in vitro toxicological analyses, our findings indicate the biosafety of CNOs and the feasibility of employing them as materials for biomedical applications.

【 授权许可】

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