Evaluation of the in vivo toxicity of green magnetic nanoparticles using Caenorhabditis elegans as a biological model

Abstract

Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) are emerging materials that are proposed as an alternative for the integral management of water resources through the use in the removal of pollutants from wastewater. The objective of this work was to determine the aquatic toxicity of MNPs with chronic exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations using the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. The categories of mortality, fertility, growth, mobility and gene expression were evaluated at different concentrations of MNPs (10–200 mg/L). The results showed that MNPs did not produce a significant effect and correlated with the concentration of the material in the mortality, growth and gene expression of Caenorhabditis elegans (p > 0.05). However, there was a correlation between the concentration of the nanoparticles and fertility, as well as for the mobility of the nematodes leading to a reduction of this up to 52% in fertility and 25% in locomotion with the concentration of 200 mg/l of MNPs.