The possible interaction of TiO2-NPs with other toxicants has been HM781-36B ic50 one of the hot topics in nanotoxicology. Some researchers have reported on the adsorption of carbon nanotubes [9–18]. Intermittent articles have studied about the adsorption of metal elements onto TiO2-NPs [19, 20]. Although previous studies have proven an adsorption interaction between nanomaterials (NMs) and organic pollutants, too less data are available on their combined biological toxic effects in vivo and the possible toxicological change of organic pollutants adsorbed by NMs. Bisphenol A (4,4′-isopropylidenediphenol, BPA) is widely used as a key raw material in the manufacture of polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins. BPA can be

present even in treated effluent after wastewater treatment processes [21]. BPA has limited biodegradation under anaerobic conditions [22]. Aquatic organisms near BPA output point sources are at the greatest risk of the harmful effects of BPA [23, 24]. selleck chemical As an alternative to acute fish toxicity testing, the zebrafish embryo test has proven to be more sensitive than the fish cytotoxicity assay [25]. Upon comparing the early embryonic stages

of other Organisation for BAY 80-6946 chemical structure Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)-recommended species, such as the fathead minnow and the Japanese medaka, zebrafish appeared to be the best model for routine embryo toxicity testing, and the zebrafish embryo assay is a promising tool to replace the acute fish toxicity test [26, 27]. In Megestrol Acetate the present study, we chose BPA as a representative organic compound and studied the toxicological effects associated with TiO2-NPs by using a zebrafish embryo model. The study consisted of the following two parts: first, in vitro adsorption experiments were performed to determine the adsorptive interaction between TiO2-NPs and BPA; second, zebrafish embryo toxicity tests were performed to monitor changes in the toxicological

effects of the two chemicals. We expect that the study results will be useful for more accurate risk assessment of NMs and organic pollutants in environments. We focus on the issue of potential environmental risks; we aim to study the combined toxicological effects of TiO2-NPs and BPA on organism. Methods Chemicals TiO2-NPs (<25 nm; purity ≥99.7%; anatase) were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich Co. (St. Louis, MO, USA). The particles were prepared in dilution water (294.0 mg/L CaCl2 · 2H2O; 123.3 mg/L MgSO4 · 7H2O; 63.0 mg/L NaHCO3; 5.5 mg/L KCl [28]) by vortexing the suspension ten times for 10 s followed by sonication for 30 min in a bath-type sonicator (35-kHz frequency, Fisherbrand FB 11010, Shanghai, China) to break down agglomerates and ensure a uniform suspension. Particle characterization of the TiO2-NPs suspension sample was examined by a transmission electron microscope (TEM; JEM-2010FEF, JEOL, Akishima-shi, Japan) (Figure 1).