To fully understand the biological and environmental impacts of nanomaterials requires studies that address both sublethal end points and multigenerational effects. Here, we use a nematode to examine these issues as they relate to exposure to two different types of quantum dots, core (CdSe) and coreﾖshell (CdSe/ZnS), and to compare the effect to those observed after cadmium salt exposures. The strong fluorescence of the coreﾖshell QDs allowed for the direct visualization of the materials in the digestive track within a few hours of exposure. Multiple end points, including both developmental and locomotive, were examined at QD exposures of low (10 mg/L Cd), medium (50 mg/L Cd), and high concentrations (100 mg/L Cd). While the coreﾖshell QDs showed no effect on fitness (lifespan, fertility, growth, and three parameters of motility behavior), the core QDs caused acute effects similar to those found for cadmium salts, suggesting that biological effects may be attributed to cadmium leaching from the more soluble QDs. Over multiple generations, we commonly found that for lower life-cycle exposures to core QDs the parents response was generally a poor predictor of the effects on progeny. At the highest concentrations, however, biological effects found for the first generation were commonly similar in magnitude to those found in future generations.
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机译：为了充分理解纳米材料的生物和环境影响，需要进行研究以解决亚致死终点和多代效应。在这里，我们使用线虫检查与暴露于两种不同类型的量子点（核（CdSe）和核壳（CdSe / ZnS））有关的问题，并将其与镉盐暴露后观察到的影响进行比较。核壳量子点的强荧光使暴露后数小时内的消化道中的物质直接可视化。在低浓度（10 mg / L Cd），中等浓度（50 mg / L Cd）和高浓度（100 mg / L Cd）的QD暴露下检查了多个端点，包括发育和机车。虽然核心壳QD对健身没有影响（寿命，生育力，生长和运动行为的三个参数），但核心QD引起的急性作用与镉盐相似，表明生物学作用可能归因于镉的浸出来自更易溶解的量子点。在多代人中，我们通常发现，对于生命周期较低的核心QD暴露，父母的反应通常不能很好地预测对后代的影响。然而，在最高浓度下，第一代发现的生物学效应的强度通常与后代发现的相似。
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