Reproductive and developmental toxicity studies of manufactured nanomaterials

This paper reviews studies in vivoa and in vitro on the reporductive and developmental toxicity of manufactured nanomaterials including metallic and metali oxide-based particles, fullerenes (C-60), carbon back (CB), and luminescent particles. Studies in vivo showed increased allergic susceptibility in offspring of mouse dams intranasally insufflated with respirable-size titanium dioixide (TiO2), adverse effects on spermatogenesis and histopathological changes in the testes and changes in gene expression in the brain of mouise offspring after maternal subcutaneous injection of TiO2 nanoparticles, transfer to rat fetuses of radiolabeled gold nanoparticles and C-60 after maternal intravenous injection, death and morphological abnormalities in mouse embryos after maternal intraperitoneal injection C-60 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 molybedenum trioxide were toxic to mouse spermatogonia stem cells, that silica nanoparticles and C-60 inhibited the differentition of mouse embryonic stem cells and midbrain cells, respectively, and that cadmium selenium-core quantum dots inhibited pre- and postimplantation development 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. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.