The dose-dependent toxicological effects and potential perturbation on the neurotransmitter secretion in brain following intranasal instillation of copper nanoparticles

Increasing production and application of metallic nanomaterials are likely to result in the release of these particles into the environment. These released nanoparticles may enter into the lungs and the central nervous system (CNS) directly through inhalation, which therefore poses a potential risk to human health. Herein, we focus on the systemic toxicity and potential influence on the neurotransmitter secretion of intranasally instilled copper nanoparticles (23.5 nm) at three different doses. Copper nanoparticle-exposed mice exhibit pathological lesions at different degrees in certain tissues and especially in lung tissue as revealed by histopathology and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations. Inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) results show that the liver, lung and olfactory bulb are the main tissues in which the copper concentrations increased significantly after exposure to a higher level of Cu nanoparticles (40 mg/kg of body weight). The secretion levels of various neurotransmitters changed as well in some brain regions, especially in the olfactory bulb. Our results indicate that the intranasally instilled copper nanoparticles not only cause the lesions where the copper accumulates, but also affect the neurotransmitter levels in the brain.