Nanotoxicology in Drosophila Melanogaster Models

Nanotoxicology in Drosophila melanogaster explores how engineered nanomaterials interact with living organisms at molecular, cellular and organismal levels. The fruit fly offers a genetically tractable system with conserved stress and metabolic pathways, short generation times and well‐characterised life stages. Researchers have employed dietary exposure, environmental contact and genetic reporters to assess lethality, sublethal stress responses and transgenerational effects of nanoparticles including silver, gold, titanium dioxide and cellulose nanofibrils. Key endpoints encompass developmental timing, lifespan, reproductive output, reactive oxygen species production, stem‐cell maintenance and behavioral assays. Findings in flies inform hazard assessment, underpin mechanistic understanding of oxidative stress, metal homeostasis and genotoxicity, and guide safer design of nanomaterials for biomedical, environmental and consumer‐product applications.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have revealed that dietary exposure to silver nanoparticles induces both acute lethality at high doses and chronic lifespan reduction at sublethal doses. These effects are mediated by tissue‐wide accumulation of reactive oxygen species and activation of antioxidant pathways, leading to DNA damage, apoptosis and autophagy. Another investigation following twenty generations of dietary titanium dioxide nanoparticles observed diminished fecundity, developmental delays, increased genotoxic markers and adaptive phenotypic changes, with larval stages being particularly susceptible. In addition, work on behavioural and metabolic endpoints demonstrated that early larval ingestion of silver nanoparticles impairs crawling and climbing ability, alters lipid and carbohydrate reserves and reduces lipid‐droplet abundance, concomitant with elevated oxidative stress in multiple tissues.

Nanotoxicology in Drosophila Melanogaster Models publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in nanotoxicology in drosophila melanogaster models across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Nanotoxicology: The study of adverse effects of engineered nanomaterials on living organisms and ecosystems.

Drosophila melanogaster: A widely used insect model organism with a short life cycle and conserved genetic pathways relevant to human biology.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS): Chemically reactive molecules containing oxygen that can damage proteins, lipids and DNA when overproduced.

Sublethal dose: A concentration of a toxic agent that does not cause immediate death but may induce physiological or behavioural impairments.

Germline stem cell (GSC): A pluripotent cell in the gonad that gives rise to gametes and whose maintenance is critical for fertility.

Fecundity: The reproductive capacity of an organism, often measured by the number of eggs or offspring produced.

Metal homeostasis: Cellular mechanisms that regulate the uptake, distribution and storage of metal ions to prevent deficiency or toxicity.

References

1. Silver nanoparticles have lethal and sublethal adverse effects on development and longevity by inducing ROS-mediated stress responses. Scientific Reports (2018).
2. Drosophotoxicology: An Emerging Research Area for Assessing Nanoparticles Interaction with Living Organisms. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2016).
3. Dose-dependent effect of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on fertility and survival of Drosophila: An in-vivo study. PLOS ONE (2017).
4. Mechanism of Silver Nanoparticles Action on Insect Pigmentation Reveals Intervention of Copper Homeostasis. PLOS ONE (2013).
5. Silver nanoparticles disrupt germline stem cell maintenance in the Drosophila testis. Scientific Reports (2016).
6. The effects of a human food additive, titanium dioxide nanoparticles E171, on Drosophila melanogaster - a 20 generation dietary exposure experiment. Scientific Reports (2018).
7. Toxicity of Nanoparticles against Drosophila melanogaster (Diptera: Drosophilidae). Journal of Nanomaterials (2015).
8. Sedentary behavior and altered metabolic activity by AgNPs ingestion in Drosophila melanogaster. Scientific Reports (2017).
9. Concentration-Dependent, Size-Independent Toxicity of Citrate Capped AuNPs in Drosophila melanogaster. PLOS ONE (2012).
10. Wood-Based Cellulose Nanofibrils: Haemocompatibility and Impact on the Development and Behaviour of Drosophila melanogaster. Biomolecules (2019).