Nanotoxicology testing: Potential of Drosophila in toxicity assessment of nanomaterials

摘要

Nanomaterials have created a profound impact in terms of their application in the fields of biomedicine, commercial products and industrial practices. The technology in the synthesis, manipulation and application of materials/engineered particles in the nano scale has established itself as one of the key technologies in the new millennium. Many nano materials have gained demand in the market owing to their unique properties and this creates a necessity for the researchers to analyze and explore the toxicity perspectives along with establishing standard tools for toxicity assessment to avoid environmental hazards and health risks. The present paper summarizes on nano genotoxicity as a phenomenon and the various in vivo and in vitro methods currently available to test genotoxicity of NMs. The paper also highlights the importance of Drosophila as an effective in vivo model system and the advantages it offers over other animal models and in vitro systems.(1,2)