Toxicological assessment of third generation (G3) poly (amidoamine) dendrimers using the Allium cepa test

摘要

Despite the expected increase of nanotechnology applications, limited information is currently available on the occurrence, fate and negative impact of engineered nanosized particles in the environment Plants are an integral and essential part of the ecosystems and their response to nanomaterials exposure is therefore of great interest In this work, different parameters including root growth, mitotic index and chromosome aberrations were used to estimate the potential ecotoxicity of low generation (G3) hydroxyl- and amine-terminated poly(amidoamine) dendrimers using the Allium cepa test The findings of the present study indicate that both tested dendrimers produce toxic effects in a higher plant system. The analysis of macroscopic parameters, used in testing for general toxicity, revealed reduction of mean root length in bulbs exposed to high concentrations. In parallel, we observed a decrease in the mitotic activity of root meristems which was associated with severe defects in chromosome segregation. Our results may greatly contribute to characterize the toxicological profile and risk of these potentially emerging pollutants in the environment.