TY - JOUR A1 - Iannarelli, L. A1 - Giovannozzi, A. M. A1 - Morelli, F. A1 - Viscotti, F. A1 - Bigini, P. A1 - Maurino, V. A1 - Spotto, G. A1 - Martra, G. A1 - Ortel, Erik A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan A1 - Rossi, A. M. A1 - Diomede, L. T1 - Shape engineered TiO2 nanoparticles in Caenorhabditis elegans: a Raman imaging based approach to assist tissue-specific toxicological studies T2 - RSC Advances N2 - Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanoparticles (NPs) are one of the main sources of the nanoparticulate matter to which humans are directly exposed and several studies have demonstrated their potential toxic effects. The in vivo detailed spatial distribution of TiO₂ NPs is investigated herein for the first time, using a 2D chemical imaging analysis based on confocal Raman spectroscopy. The invertebrate nematode C. elegans was employed as a prototypical model of living organisms. Rod, bipyramidal and quasispherical engineered TiO₂ NPs with different primary particle sizes and agglomeration states were prepared, characterized and then administered to nematodes. Exploiting the typical fingerprint of TiO₂ in the Raman spectrum, we monitored the biodistribution of NPs inside the worm using a non-invasive, label-free method. The high spatial resolution chemical imaging and the specificity of the Raman technique in the localization of TiO₂ NPs helped in the design of behavioral C. elegans studies aimed at elucidating the relationship among the size, shape, and agglomeration state of NPs and their ability to induce specific toxic effects. Rod-shaped NPs were the most toxic, greatly impairing pharyngeal function, reproduction and larval growth; this indicates that the rod shape, more than the bipyramidal and spherical shapes, enables NPs to interact with biological systems. These findings indicate that this Raman-nematode combined approach represents a step forward in the field of detection of NPs in living organisms, and being rapid and inexpensive enough, it can be applied as the first screening for the ability of NPs to biodistribute and exert toxicological properties in vivo. PB - Royal Society of Chemistry CY - Thomas Graham House, Cambridge KW - Titanium dioxide KW - Nanoparticles KW - Caenorhabdtis elegans KW - Micro-Raman imaging KW - Nanotoxicology PY - 2016 UR - https://opus4.kobv.de/opus4-bam/frontdoor/index/index/docId/36969 AN - OPUS4-36969 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-369695 UR - http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2016/ra/c6ra09686g#!divAbstract SN - 2046-2069 VL - 6 SP - 70501 EP - 70509 AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany