Abstract
Carbon nanomaterials (CNMs) are increasingly employed in nanomedicine as carriers for intracellular transport of drugs, imaging probes, and therapeutics agents, thanks to their unique optical and physicochemical properties. However, a better understanding about the effects of CNMs on a vertebrate model at the whole animal level is required. In this study, we compare the toxicity of oxidized carbon nano-onions (oxi-CNOs), oxidized carbon nano-horns (oxi-CNHs) and graphene oxide (GO) in zebrafish (Danio rerio). We evaluate the possible effects of these nanomaterials on zebrafish development by assessing different end-points and exposure periods.
Highlights
Since the discovery of fullerene (C60) by Kroto et al in 1985 [1], carbon nanomaterials (CNMs) have gained increased interest in different disciplines, spanning from electronic to biomedical applications
We compare the toxicity of oxidized carbon nano-onions, oxidized carbon nano-horns and graphene oxide (GO) in zebrafish (Danio rerio)
We evaluate the possible effects of these nanomaterials on zebrafish development by assessing different end-points and exposure periods
Summary
Since the discovery of fullerene (C60) by Kroto et al in 1985 [1], carbon nanomaterials (CNMs) have gained increased interest in different disciplines, spanning from electronic to biomedical applications. We compare the toxicity of carbon nano-onions (CNOs), carbon nanohorns (CNHs) and graphene oxide (GO) in zebrafish, to understand and evaluate which CNMs is potentially more adequate for biological applications. Previous studies on the biocompatibility of other CNMs in zebrafish during development reported a dose and time-dependent toxicity, high mortality rate, and different embryos/larvae malformations. We wanted to compare three different CNMs, to better understand their effect on a live animal, and fully establish which one can be the best candidate for biological applications For these studies, we oxidized both CNOs (oxi-CNOs) and CNHs (oxi-CNHs), to chemically introduce carboxylic groups on their surface, as the presence of -COOH functional groups enhances their solubility in aqueous media and increases their biocompatibility, as previously demonstrated for carbon nanotubes [30,45]. The described work reported on the evaluation of different toxicological end-points on zebrafish embryos and larvae treated with oxi-CNOs, oxi-CNHs and GO
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