Journal Article

Immunomodulation by Different Types of N-Oxides in the Hemocytes of the Marine Bivalve Mytilus galloprovincialis

Gallo, Gabriella, Fabbri, Rita, Canonico, Barbara, Ciacci, Caterina, Cortese, Katia, Marcomini, Antonio, Canesi, Laura, Bilaniĉovă, Dagmar, Pojana, Giulio

2012

Overview

The potential toxicity of engineered nanoparticles (NPs) for humans and the environment represents an emerging issue. Since the aquatic environment represents the ultimate sink for NP deposition, the development of suitable assays is needed to evaluate the potential impact of NPs on aquatic biota. The immune system is a sensitive target for NPs, and conservation of innate immunity represents an useful basis for studying common biological responses to NPs. Suspension-feeding invertebrates, such as bivalves, are particularly at risk to NP exposure, since they have extremely developed systems for uptake of nano and microscale particles integral to intracellular digestion and cellular immunity. Evaluation of the effects of NPs on functional parameters of bivalve immunocytes, the hemocytes, may help understanding the major toxic mechanisms and modes of actions that could be relevant for different NP types in aquatic organisms.In this work, a battery of assays was applied to the hemocytes of the marine bivalve Mytilus galloprovincialis to compare the in vitro effects of different n-oxides (n-TiO(2), n-SiO(2), n-ZnO, n-CeO(2)) chosen on the basis of their commercial and environmental relevance. Physico-chemical characterization of both primary particles and NP suspensions in artificial sea water-ASW was performed. Hemocyte lysosomal and mitochondrial parameters, oxyradical and nitric oxide production, phagocytic activity, as well as NP uptake, were evaluated. The results show that different n-oxides rapidly elicited differential responses hemocytes in relation to their chemical properties, concentration, behavior in sea water, and interactions with subcellular compartments. These represent the most extensive data so far available on the effects of NPs in the cells of aquatic organisms. The results indicate that Mytilus hemocytes can be utilized as a suitable model for screening the potential effects of NPs in the cells of aquatic invertebrates, and may provide a basis for future experimental work for designing environmentally safer nanomaterials.

• Publisher: Public Library of Science,Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subject: Agriculture / Animals / Apoptosis / Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins - drug effects / Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins - metabolism / Aquatic animals / Aquatic biota / Aquatic environment / Aquatic organisms / Biology / Biota / Bivalvia / Blood / Carbon black / Cell-mediated immunity / Cerium - toxicity / Cerium oxides / Chemical properties / Compartments / Conservation / Crassostrea virginica / Daphnia magna / Environmental engineering / Hemocytes / Hemocytes - drug effects / Hemocytes - immunology / Hemocytes - metabolism / Hemocytes - ultrastructure / Immune system / Immunity / Immunologic Factors - chemistry / Immunologic Factors - toxicity / Immunology / Immunomodulation / Innate immunity / Invertebrates / Kinases / Ligands / Lysosomes - drug effects / Lysosomes - metabolism / Mammals / Marine engineering / Medicine / Metal Nanoparticles - chemistry / Metal Nanoparticles - toxicity / Metal Nanoparticles - ultrastructure / Microscopy, Electron, Transmission / Mitochondria / Mollusca / Mollusks / Muramidase - metabolism / Mytilus - drug effects / Mytilus - immunology / Mytilus - metabolism / Mytilus galloprovincialis / N-Oxides / Nanomaterials / Nanoparticles / Nanotechnology / Nitric oxide / Nitric Oxide - biosynthesis / Oxidative stress / Oxides / Parameters / Phagocytes / Phagocytosis - drug effects / Plankton / Quantum dots / Ribosomal Proteins - drug effects / Ribosomal Proteins - metabolism / Seawater / Seawater - chemistry / Shellfish / Silicon dioxide / Silicon Dioxide - toxicity / Studies / Titanium - toxicity / Titanium dioxide / Toxicity / Water Pollutants, Chemical - toxicity / Zinc oxide / Zinc Oxide - toxicity