Biocompatibility assessment of fibrous nanomaterials in mammalian embryos

Currently there is a growing interest in the use of nanotechnology in reproductive medicine and reproductive biology. However, their toxic effects on mammalian embryos remain poorly understood. In this work, we evaluate the biocompatibility of two fibrous nanomaterials (NMs): cotton cellulose nanofibers (CNF) and carboxylated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT-COOH), by performing an investigation of the embryonic development, gene expression (biomarkers focused on cell stress, apoptosis and totipotency) and in situ apoptosis in bovine embryos. Exposure to NMs did not interfere in preimplantation development or in the incidence of apoptosis in the bovine embryo, but they did affect the gene expression. The results presented are important for an understanding of the toxicity of cotton CNF and MWCNT-COOH on mammalian embryos. To our knowledge, we report the first evaluation of biocompatibility between these NMs on preimplantation embryos, which may open a new window for reproductive biomedical applications.

This work provides a direct comparison of the impact of cotton cellulose nanofibers (CNF) and carboxylated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT-COOH) on in vitro cultured mammalian embryos. Exposure to cotton CNF and MWCNT-COOH did not cause any changes in viability indicators such as the total cell number or apoptosis, but they did change the relative abundance of some mRNA transcripts. Taken together, these results demonstrate that cotton CNF and MWCNT-COOH have potential for use in biomedical applications.Figure optionsDownload high-quality image (112 K)Download as PowerPoint slide