Journal of Clinical Toxicology
Open Access

Establishment of a rapid and inexpensive in vivo model for assessment of nanomaterial safety

International Toxicology Summit & Expo

November 26-28, 2012 Hilton San Antonio Airport, USA

Janice L. Speshock, Nathan Elrod, Jeff Brady, Laura K. Braydich-Stolle, Saber M. Hussain

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Clinic Toxicol

Abstract :

N anomaterials are defined as any material with at least one dimension being less than 100 nanometers (nm). There are a great number of these materials being synthesized with various compositions that are being incorporated into many facets of life including consumer products, military applications, and medical devices. Lagging well behind the synthesis and use of nanomaterials is the toxicological data determining the safety of nanotechnology. The main reason for this is the current models available for toxicological screening. Cell culture is inexpensive but does not allow for a full understanding as to the fate, localization, and toxicity of nanomaterials. Mouse models are often used for in vivo studies and they can allow for a more complete understanding of nanomaterialsafety;however, adequate studies can be very costly. This group is in the process of establishing an inexpensive alternative to in vivo modeling using the adult zebrafish, Daniorerio . Zebrafishare model organismsfor studying developmental biology and bacterial pathogenesis, and have many homologous proteins shared with humans and other mammals. They have been completely sequenced and thus many biomarkers for stress, toxicity, and inflammation have been identified. The extent of biodistribution, inflammation, and toxicity is being assessed using 10 nm silver nanosphereswith intramuscular administration and it has been determined that the nanomaterials distribute throughout the fish and have differential affects on various target organs. Changes in inflammatory and apoptosis genes have been detected suggesting that the zebrafish may be a good alternative model for screening nanomaterials for safety

Biography :

Janice L. Speshock graduated from Wayne State University School of Medicine with a Doctoral degree from the department of Immunology and Microbiology. She continued her training as a Postdoctoral fellow at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in the Biological Interaction of Nanomaterials groups in the Air Force Research Laboratories studying the interaction of nanomaterials with various viruses and bacteria and assessing the impact of nanomaterials on inflammation and host defenses. Jancie L. Speshock is currently an Associate Professor of Biology at Tarleton State University where she continues her research interests of in vivo model development and gene expression studies and serves as a reviewer for the journals Toxicological Sciences and Texas Journal of Science