Project description:We used microarrays to determine transcptional responses to silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in the mouse liver following oral ingestion. Liver is a major target organ for AgNP accumulation after oral or intravenous exposure. Given that physicochemical properties of AgNPs such as surface coating may influence transcriptional responses to exposure, we evaluated AgNPs with two different surface coatings such as citrate (cit) and polyvinylpirrolidone (PVP). We identified common and unique mRNA and lncRNA expression profiles for cit-AgNPs and PVP-AgNPs. PVP-AgNPs induced a more robust transctiptional response characterized by a 2-fold higher number of differentially expressed mRNAs and lncRNAs.
Project description:From the result of the gene expression analyses of human hepatoma cell line, HepG2, a number of genes associated with cell proliferation and DNA repair were distinctively up-regulated by Ag-nanoparticle exposure, suggesting that Ag-nanoparticles might stimulate cell proliferation and DNA damage, which are considered to be mechanisms playing an important role for carcinogenesis and tumor progression. The inductions of these genes involved in cell proliferation were also observed in PS-nanoparticles and Ag2CO3-exposed cells. In addition, the inductions of DNA repair-associated genes were also observed in Ag2CO3-exposure. These results suggest that both “nanoshape” and “silver” can cause the inductions of these gene expression patterns. Furthermore, cysteine, a strong ionic silver ligand partially abolished these gene expressions induced by silver nanoparticles. Ionic silver sourced from Ag-nanoparticles could not fully explain these gene expressions.
Project description:RNA-Seq analysis was used for deep sequencing of transcriptome to detected molecular mechanisms of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and distinguish the effects of Arabidopsis thaliana exposure to AgNPs and Ag+.We identified 626 and 767 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) influenced by AgNPs and Ag+ respectively.302 genes were specifically regulated by the AgNPs treatment indicates that the nanoparticle-specific effects.This study provide a valuable resource for the discovery of genes related to special toxicity mechanism of AgNPs.
Project description:Effects of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) on freshwater species have been reported in several studies, but there is not information on the potential long-term consequences of a previous exposure. In this work, we investigated the long-term effects of maltose-coated Ag NPs (20 nm) and of ionic silver (10 µg/L) after 21 days of exposure and at 6 months post-exposure (mpe) in adult zebrafish. Exposure resulted in significant silver accumulation in the whole body of fish exposed to ionic silver, but not in those exposed to Ag NPs. However, autometallography revealed metal accumulation in the liver and intestine of fish treated with the two silver forms and especially in the intestine of fish exposed to Ag NPs. X-ray microanalysis showed the presence of silver in gills, liver and intestine and of Ag NPs in gill and liver cells. Inflammation and hyperplasia were evident in the gills after both treatments and these histopathological conditions remained at 6 mpe. According to the hepatic transcriptome analysis, at 3 days ionic silver regulated a larger number of transcripts (410) than Ag NPs (129), while at 21 days Ag NPs provoked a stronger effect (799 vs 165 regulated sequences). Gene ontology terms such as “metabolic processes” and “response to stimulus” appeared enriched after all treatments, while “immune system” or “reproductive processes” were specifically enriched after the exposure to Ag NPs. This suggests that the toxicity of Ag NPs may not be solely related to the release of Ag ions, but also to the NP form. No evident effects were found on protein oxidation or on hepatocyte lysosomal membrane stability during exposure, but effects recorded on liver lysosomes and persistent damage on gill tissue at 6 mpe could indicate potential for long-term effects in exposed fish.
Project description:Silver nanoparticles cause toxicity in exposed organisms and are an environmental health concern. The mechanisms of silver nanoparticle toxicity, however, remain unclear. We examined the effects of exposure to silver in nano-, bulk- and ionic forms on zebrafish embryos (Danio rerio) using a Next Generation Sequencing approach in an Illumina platform (High-Throughput SuperSAGE). Significant alterations in gene expression were found for all treatments and many of the gene pathways affected, most notably those associated with oxidative phosphorylation and protein synthesis, overlapped strongly between the three treatments indicating similar mechanisms of toxicity for the three forms of silver studied. Changes in oxidative phosphorylation indicated a down-regulation of this pathway at 24h of exposure, but with a recovery at 48h. This finding was consistent with a dose-dependent decrease in oxygen consumption at 24h, but not at 48h, following exposure to silver ions. Overall, our data provide support for the hypothesis that the toxicity caused by silver nanoparticles is principally associated with bioavailable silver ions in exposed zebrafish embryos. These findings are important in the evaluation of the risk that silver particles may pose to exposed vertebrate organisms.
Project description:Silver nanoparticles cause toxicity in exposed organisms and are an environmental health concern. The mechanisms of silver nanoparticle toxicity, however, remain unclear. We examined the effects of exposure to silver in nano-, bulk- and ionic forms on zebrafish embryos (Danio rerio) using a Next Generation Sequencing approach in an Illumina platform (High-Throughput SuperSAGE). Significant alterations in gene expression were found for all treatments and many of the gene pathways affected, most notably those associated with oxidative phosphorylation and protein synthesis, overlapped strongly between the three treatments indicating similar mechanisms of toxicity for the three forms of silver studied. Changes in oxidative phosphorylation indicated a down-regulation of this pathway at 24h of exposure, but with a recovery at 48h. This finding was consistent with a dose-dependent decrease in oxygen consumption at 24h, but not at 48h, following exposure to silver ions. Overall, our data provide support for the hypothesis that the toxicity caused by silver nanoparticles is principally associated with bioavailable silver ions in exposed zebrafish embryos. These findings are important in the evaluation of the risk that silver particles may pose to exposed vertebrate organisms. mRNA profiles of whole zebrafish embryos at 24 and 48 hours post-fertilisation (hpf) exposed to silver in nano, bulk and ionic forms were generated by deep sequencing using HT-SuperSAGE (Illumina GA2).
Project description:Applications for silver nanomaterials in consumer products are rapidly expanding, creating an urgent need for toxicological examination of the exposure potential and ecological effects of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The integration of genomic techniques into environmental toxicology has presented new avenues to develop exposure biomarkers and investigate the mode of toxicity of novel chemicals. In the present study we used a 15k oligonucleotide microarray for Daphnia magna, a freshwater crustacean and common indicator species for toxicity, to differentiate between particle specific and ionic silver toxicity and to develop exposure biomarkers for citrate-coated and PVP-coated AgNPs. Gene expression profiles revealed that AgNO3 and AgNPs have distinct expression profiles suggesting different modes of toxicity. However, the gene expression profiles of the different coated AgNPs were similar revealing similarities in the cellular effects of these two particles. Major biological processes disrupted by the AgNPs include protein metabolism and signal transduction. In contrast, AgNO3 caused a downregulation of developmental processes, particularly in sensory development. Metal responsive and DNA damage repair genes were induced by the PVP AgNPs, but not the other treatments. In addition, two specific biomarkers were developed for the environmental detection of PVP AgNPs; although further verification under different environmental conditions is needed. We exposed Daphnia magna to the 1/10 LC50 and LC25 of citrate coated and PVP-coated Ag nanoparticles and Ag+ as AgNO3 for 24-h. For each exposure condition, we performed 6 replicate exposures with 5 individuals in each. All exposures were compared to a unexposed laboratory control.
Project description:Silver nanoparticles are used in consumer products like food contact materials, drinking water technologies and supplements, due to their antimicrobial properties. This leads to an oral uptake and exposure of intestinal cells. In contrast to other studies we found no apoptosis induction by surfactant coated silver nanoparticles in the intestinal cell model Caco-2 in a previous study, although the particles induced oxidative stress, morphological changes and cell death. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the molecular mechanism of silver nanoparticles in Caco-2 cells. We used global gene expression profiling in differentiated Caco-2 cells, supported by verification of the microarray data by quantitative real time RT-PCR and microscopic analysis, impedance measurements and assays for apoptosis and oxidative stress. Our results revealed that the majority of surfactant coated silver nanoparticles are not taken up into differentiated Caco-2 cells. and probably affect the cells by outside-in signaling. They induce oxidative stress and have an influence on canonical pathways related to FAK, ILK, ERK, MAPK, integrins and adherence and tight junctions, thereby inducing transcription factors like AP1, NFĸB and NRF2, which mediate cellular reactions in response to oxidative stress and metal ions and induce changes in the cytoskeleton and cell-cell and cell-matrix contacts. The present data confirm the absence of apoptotic cell death. Non-apoptotic, necrotic cell death, especially in the intestine, can cause inflammation and influence the mucosal immune response.
Project description:Nanowires (NWs), high-aspect-ratio nanomaterials, are increasingly used in technological materials and consumer products and may have toxicological characteristics distinct from nanoparticles. We carried out a comprehensive evaluation of the physicochemical stability of four silver nanowires (AgNWs) of two sizes and coatings and their toxicity to Daphnia magna. Inorganic aluminum-doped silica coatings were less effective than organic poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) coatings at preventing silver oxidation or Ag+ release and underwent a significant morphological transformation within 1 h following addition to low ionic strength Daphnia growth media. All AgNWs were highly toxic to D. magna but less toxic than ionic silver. Toxicity varied as a function of AgNW dimension, coating, and solution chemistry. Ag+ release in the media could not account for observed AgNW toxicity. Single-particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry distinguished and quantified dissolved and nanoparticulate silver in microliter-scale volumes of Daphnia magna hemolymph with a limit of detection of approximately 10 ppb. The silver levels within the hemolymph of Daphnia exposed to both Ag+ and AgNW met or exceeded the initial concentration in the growth medium, indicating effective accumulation during filter feeding. Silver-rich particles were the predominant form of silver in hemolymph following exposure to both AgNWs and Ag+. Scanning electron microscopy imaging of dried hemolymph found both AgNWs and silver precipitates that were not present in the AgNW stock or the growth medium. Both organic and inorganic coatings on the AgNW were transformed during ingestion or absorption. Pathway, gene ontology, and clustering analyses of gene expression response indicated effects of AgNWs distinct from ionic silver on Daphnia magna. Four replicates each of five toxicant exposure groups of ~20 animals and four replicates of control, unexposed animals. Each control was compared to each exposed data set for a total of 16 comparisons per chemical condition.