Titanium dioxide nanoparticle affects motor behavior, neurodevelopment and axonal growth in zebrafish (Danio rerio) larvae
More attention has been recently paid to the ecotoxicity of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (nano-TiO2) owing to its common use in many fields. Although previous studies have shown that nano-TiO2 is neurotoxic, the mechanism is still largely unknown. In the present study, zebrafish embryos were expos...
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Published in | The Science of the total environment Vol. 754; p. 142315 |
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Main Authors | , , , , , , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Netherlands
Elsevier B.V
01.02.2021
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | More attention has been recently paid to the ecotoxicity of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (nano-TiO2) owing to its common use in many fields. Although previous studies have shown that nano-TiO2 is neurotoxic, the mechanism is still largely unknown. In the present study, zebrafish embryos were exposed to 0.01, 0.1, and 1.0 mg/L nano-TiO2 and 1.0 mg/L micro-TiO2 for up to 6 days post-fertilization (dpf). Exposure to 1.0 mg/L nano-TiO2 significantly decreased the body length and weight of zebrafish larvae; however, the hatching and mortality rate of zebrafish embryos did not change. Behavioral tests showed that nano-TiO2 exposure significantly reduced the swimming speed and clockwise rotation times of the larvae. The results revealed that nano-TiO2 treatment adversely affected motor neuron axon length in Tg (hb9-GFP) zebrafish and decreased central nervous system (CNS) neurogenesis in Tg (HuC-GFP) zebrafish. Additionally, real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis demonstrated that genes associated with neurogenesis (nrd and elavl3) and axonal growth (α1-tubulin, mbp, and gap43) were significantly affected by nano-TiO2 exposure. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that early-life stage exposure of zebrafish to nano-TiO2 causes adverse neural outcomes through the inhibition of neurodevelopment and motor neuron axonal growth.
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•Titanium dioxide nanoparticles exposure induced neurotoxicity.•Titanium dioxide nanoparticles exposure markedly decreased locomotor behavior.•Titanium dioxide nanoparticles exposure decreased central nervous system (CNS) neurogenesis in Tg (HuC-GFP) zebrafish.•Titanium dioxide nanoparticles exposure adversely affected motor neuron axon length in Tg (hb9-GFP) zebrafish.•Titanium dioxide nanoparticles exposure downregulate the expression levels of neurodevelopment genes. |
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ISSN: | 0048-9697 1879-1026 |
DOI: | 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142315 |