Luminescence Tracking and In Vivo Toxicity Evaluation of TiO<sub>2</sub> and Europium Doped TiO<sub>2</sub> Nanocrystals during Drosophila Development
Jerusa Maria de Oliveira,
Kellen Talita Romão da Silva,
Francisco Rubens Alves dos Santos,
Felipe Berti Valer,
Ricardo Kenji Ohno Takaki,
João Paulo Santos de Carvalho,
Olagide Wagner de Castro,
Thiago Lopes Rocha,
Noelio Oliveira Dantas,
Anielle Christine Almeida Silva,
Lucas Anhezini
Affiliations
Jerusa Maria de Oliveira
Rede Nordeste de Biotecnologia (RENORBIO), Chemistry Institute, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceió 57072-900, Alagoas, Brazil
Kellen Talita Romão da Silva
Laboratory of In Vivo Analysis of Toxicity, Institute of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceió 57072-900, Alagoas, Brazil
Francisco Rubens Alves dos Santos
Laboratory of In Vivo Analysis of Toxicity, Institute of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceió 57072-900, Alagoas, Brazil
Felipe Berti Valer
Department of BioMolecular Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14040-900, São Paulo, Brazil
Ricardo Kenji Ohno Takaki
Department of BioMolecular Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14040-900, São Paulo, Brazil
João Paulo Santos de Carvalho
Laboratory of New Nanostructured and Functional Materials, Physics Institute, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceió 57072-900, Alagoas, Brazil
Olagide Wagner de Castro
Department of Physiology, Institute of Biological Sciences and Health, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceió 57072-900, Alagoas, Brazil
Thiago Lopes Rocha
Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology and Ecotoxicology, Institute of Tropical Pathology and Public Health, Federal University of Goiás, Goiânia 74690-900, Goiás, Brazil
Noelio Oliveira Dantas
Laboratory of New Nanostructured and Functional Materials, Physics Institute, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceió 57072-900, Alagoas, Brazil
Anielle Christine Almeida Silva
Rede Nordeste de Biotecnologia (RENORBIO), Chemistry Institute, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceió 57072-900, Alagoas, Brazil
Lucas Anhezini
Laboratory of In Vivo Analysis of Toxicity, Institute of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceió 57072-900, Alagoas, Brazil
Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles (NPs) are widely used in industry and commercial products. Thus, their potential risks to the environment and human health must be evaluated. Doping NPs with certain ions makes it possible to mix properties or generate new ones. Thus, in order to track TiO2 NPs in biological assays, doping with europium (Eu3+) ions was performed, which luminesce in red. Here, we synthesized TiO2 and Eu3+-doped TiO2 nanocrystals (NCs) in anatase phase to verify the toxicity at different concentrations in Drosophila melanogaster and track the distribution of these NCs in vivo. We verified that the incorporation of europium improved the biocompatibility in relation to the pure samples. The presence of Eu3+-doped TiO2 NCs in the gut, brain, and fat body of larvae and intestinal cells of adult animals was detected. Eu3+-doped TiO2 NCs caused significant larval and pupal mortality rates, in addition to leading to the formation of reactive species, especially at high concentrations. Therefore, our data demonstrated it was possible to trace the Eu3+-doped TiO2 NCs, but TiO2 and Eu3+-doped TiO2 NCs in anatase phase were toxic to fruit flies at the tested concentrations, and should be used with caution to minimize health risks.
