Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 22, 2026
06:47
Toxicity Study of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles in Cell Culture and in Drosophila melanogaster
Published on: September 19, 2019
11.7K
Evaluation of polylactic acid nanoparticles safety using Drosophila model
Sophie Legaz1,2, Jean-Yves Exposito1,2, Claire Lethias1,2
1a Institut de Biologie et Chimie des Protéines, Fédération de Recherche 3302, SFR BioSciences (Unité Mixte de Service 3444/US8) Gerland-Lyon Sud, Université de Lyon 1 , Lyon , France .
Nanotoxicology
|April 26, 2016
Summary
Poly(lactic acid) nanoparticles induce cell death via oxidative stress and pathway activation at high doses. Sub-lethal doses of these nanoparticles do not affect Drosophila viability or development, indicating their potential as a model for nanoparticle toxicity studies.
Area of Science:
- Nanomaterial science
- Toxicology
- Cell biology
Background:
- Nanoparticle research is expanding, necessitating efficient methods for assessing cytotoxicity and sub-lethal effects.
- Drosophila melanogaster offers a high-throughput model for studying nanoparticle behavior and effects relevant to drug delivery and cancer therapy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the in vitro cytotoxicity of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) nanoparticles.
- To evaluate the impact of sub-lethal PLA nanoparticle concentrations on Drosophila melanogaster viability and development.
Main Methods:
- In vitro cell-based assays to determine cytotoxicity of PLA nanoparticles.
- Administration of PLA nanoparticles to Drosophila larvae to assess effects on viability and development.
Main Results:
- Near-lethal doses of PLA nanoparticles induced oxidative stress, activating P53 and ATP pathways, leading to G1 cell cycle arrest and cell death.
- Sub-lethal concentrations of ingested PLA nanoparticles did not impact Drosophila larval viability or developmental progression.
Conclusions:
- PLA nanoparticles exhibit dose-dependent cytotoxicity, mediated by oxidative stress and specific cellular pathways.
- Drosophila serves as a valuable model organism for evaluating the toxicity and fate of PLA and modified PLA nanoparticles.
