Caenorhabditis elegans as a Model for the Assessment of Nanomaterial Toxicity

Nicol, Louise; Malone, Eva; Proudfoot, Lorna

Abstract

Nanomaterials, having at least one dimension less than 100nm, have unique physico-chemical properties due to their small size, large surface area and surface reactivity. Manufactured nanomaterials have enormous potential in industrial, pharmaceutical and biomedical applications but there is still concern among the public regarding their safety. Our research indicates that the soil nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans can be used as a model to determine the toxicity of nanomaterials. C.elegans is widely used in the laboratory due to its simple structure (translucent), fast reproduction (3 days), ease of culture and low cost maintenance. This free living nematode has the capability of providing an excellent medium – to high- throughput model and has been used to test the toxicity of polystyrene beads, silver, zinc oxide and poly-lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) bulk/nano materials; focusing on the effects that these particles have on life-span, viability, reproduction and regulation of genes related to stress and cell death. The C.elegans genome was sequenced in 1998 and so allows for the investigation of various genes using methods such as RNA interference (RNAi) and real-time PCR. A promising development from this research could be the use of nanomaterials in drug targeting for parasitic nematodes. A growing incidence of anthelminthic resistance shows that novel treatments are desperately needed and preliminary research using C.elegans and nanomaterials could be a step forward.

Citation

Nicol, L., Malone, E., & Proudfoot, L. (2012, April). Caenorhabditis elegans as a Model for the Assessment of Nanomaterial Toxicity. Poster presented at British Society for Parasitology Conference, 50th Anniversary, Glasgow

• Presentation Conference Type: Poster
• Conference Name: British Society for Parasitology Conference, 50th Anniversary
• Start Date: Apr 2, 2012
• End Date: Apr 5, 2012
• Deposit Date: Jul 19, 2023