In vivo evaluation of carbon fullerene toxicity using embryonic zebrafish Original Research Article

There is a pressing need to develop rapid whole animal-based testing assays to assess the potential toxicity of engineered nano-materials. To meet this challenge, the embryonic zebrafish model was employed to determine the toxicity of fullerenes. Embryonic zebrafish were exposed to graded concentrations of fullerenes [C60, C70, and C60(OH)24] during early embryogenesis and the resulting morphological and cellular responses were defined. Exposure to 200 μg/L C60 and C70 induced a significant increased in malformations, pericardial edema, and mortality; while the response to C60(OH)24 exposure was less pronounced at concentrations an order of magnitude higher. Exposure to C60 induced both necrotic and apoptotic cellular death throughout the embryo. While C60(OH)24 induced an increase in embryonic cellular death, it did not induce apoptosis. Our findings concur with results obtained in other models indicating that C60(OH)24 is significantly less toxic than C60. These studies also suggest that the embryonic zebrafish model is well-suited for the rapid assessment of nanomaterial toxicity.