Reproductive and developmental toxicity studies of manufactured nanomaterials

This paper reviews studies in vivo and in vitro on the reproductive and developmental toxicity of manufactured nanomaterials including metallic and metal oxide-based particles, fullerenes (C60), carbon black (CB), and luminescent particles. Studies in vivo showed increased allergic susceptibility in offspring of mouse dams intranasally insufflated with respirable-size titanium dioxide (TiO2), adverse effects on spermatogenesis and histopathological changes in the testes and changes in gene expression in the brain of mouse offspring after maternal subcutaneous injection of TiO2 nanoparticles, transfer to rat fetuses of radiolabeled gold nanoparticles and C60 after maternal intravenous injection, death and morphological abnormalities in mouse embryos after maternal intraperitoneal injection of C60, and adverse effects on spermatogenesis in mouse offspring after maternal intratracheal instillation of CB nanoparticles. Studies in vitro revealed that TiO2 and CB nanoparticles affected the viability of mouse Leydig cells, that gold nanoparticles reduced the motility of human sperm, that silver, aluminum, and molybdenum trioxide were toxic to mouse spermatogonia stem cells, that silica nanoparticles and C60 inhibited the differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells and midbrain cells, respectively, and that cadmium selenium-core quantum dots inhibited pre- and postimplantation development of mouse embryos. Although this paper provides initial information on the potential reproductive and developmental toxicity of manufactured nanomaterials, further studies, especially in vivo, using characterized nanoparticles, relevant routes of administration, and doses closely reflecting expected levels of exposure are needed.