Interactions of Hydroxyapatite with Proteins and Its Toxicological Effect to Zebrafish Embryos Development

Zhen Xu,Ya-Lei Zhang,Ling-Ling Wu,Cao Song,Hong-Wen Gao,Meni Wanunu

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0032818

Zhen Xu, Ya-Lei Zhang + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0032818

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Abstract

The increased application of nanomaterials has raised the level of public concern regarding possible toxicities caused by exposure to nanostructures. The interactions of nanosized hydroxyapatite (HA) with cytochrome c and hemoglobin were investigated by zeta-potential, UV-vis, fluorescence and circular dichroism. The experimental results indicated that the interactions were formed via charge attraction and hydrogen bond and obeyed Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The two functional proteins bridged between HA particles to aggregate into the coralloid form, where change of the secondary structure of proteins occurred. From effects of nanosized HA, SiO2 and TiO2 particles on the zebrafish embryos development, they were adsorbed on the membrane surface confirmed by the electronic scanning microscopy. Nano-HA aggregated into the biggest particles around the membrane protein and then caused a little toxicity to development of zebrafish embryos. The SiO2 particles were distributed throughout the outer surface and caused jam of membrane passage, delay of the hatching time and axial malformation. Maybe owing to the oxygen free radical activity, TiO2 caused some serious deformity characters in the cardiovascular system.

Highlights

The growing industrial usage of nanomaterials brings an urgent need for information on their potential health effects [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7]
Oxidative stress caused by nano-sized particles can damage lipids, carbohydrates, proteins and DNA; in particular, lipid peroxidation is considered most dangerous as it alters cell membrane properties [13], [14], [15], [16]
It may be attributed to cyt c and hb binding to the particle surface

Summary

Introduction

The growing industrial usage of nanomaterials brings an urgent need for information on their potential health effects [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7]. Due to their distinctive physico-chemical characteristics of nanomaterials including chemical reactivity, their possible toxicity may differ from that of the bulk material of similar chemical nature [8], [9], [10], [11], [12]. Nanoparticles eluded the phagocytic pathway and a few were even seen to enter the nuclei through nuclear pores [11]

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