RETRACTED ARTICLE: Genotoxicity and alteration of the Gene Regulatory Network expression during Paracentrotus lividus development in the presence of carbon nanoparticles

Elisabetta Carata,Bernardetta Anna Tenuzzo,Stefania Mariano,Marco Fidaleo,Luciana Dini,Andrea Setini

doi:10.1007/s43188-020-00081-y

Abstract

AbstractNanoparticles are a newly emerging class of pollutants with eco-toxicological impacts on marine ecosystems; they are characterized by nano-scale size which improves their physical, chemical and biological properties. To better understand the mechanisms of embryotoxicity of carbon-based nanoparticles, the genotoxicity and the perturbation of the Gene Regulatory Network (GRN) expression have been investigated during the development of the sea urchinParacentrotus lividusfrom fertilization to early pluteus stage. Increasing quantities of carbon nanoparticles (C-NPs), 0.5, 2.5 and 25 × 1013C-NPs/500 cm3of filtered seawater were administered during fertilization and the development was monitored up to the early pluteus stage (48 h). DNA damage and gene expression were assayed by Comet assay and Real-Time PCR, respectively. Taken together, our results indicate that embryo malformations taking place in the presence of C-NPs are due to altered regulation of the GNR and to a progressive accumulation of DNA single-strand breaks.

Highlights

The aquatic environment is under the pressure given by the significant increase of the use of nanomaterials (NMs) in consumer and industrial products, whose potential biological effects is still under debate [1]
We investigated the genotoxic risks and the effects on the ectodermal (GRN) expression of different carbon nanoparticles (C-NPs) quantities exposure, during the development of Paracentrotus lividus from fertilization to early pluteus
Prepared C-NPs in MilliQ water were round and well dispersed; nanoparticles aggregation slightly increased with time and increasing C-NPs quantities

Summary

Introduction

The aquatic environment is under the pressure given by the significant increase of the use of nanomaterials (NMs) in consumer and industrial products, whose potential biological effects is still under debate [1]. Since E-NPs are generally found in the aquatic environment at very low concentrations, it is likely that they exert sub-lethal effects on the organisms [4]. The majority of the studies have focused to identify the E-NPs toxicity by analyzing many different parameters, e.g., mortality, developmental defects, and, more recently, genotoxic potential, like DNA or/and chromosomal fragmentation, or DNA strand breaks, but at unrealistic high concentrations [4, 5]. A gap of knowledge regarding the underlying mechanisms of E-NPs toxicity and/or genotoxicity and/or modulation of gene expression still exists. With the aim to fill this gap, there is increasing attention to the possible E-NPs role on the gene expression, which, in turn, could help to clarify the involvement of E-NPs action mechanisms in the sublethal effects

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