Sea urchin immune cells and associated microbiota co-exposed to iron oxide nanoparticles activate cellular and molecular reprogramming that promotes physiological adaptation.

The innate immune system is the first player involved in the recognition/interaction with nanomaterials. Still, it is not the only system involved. The co-evolution of the microbiota with the innate immune system built an interdependence regulating immune homeostasis that is poorly studied.

A broad-taxa approach as an important concept in ecotoxicological studies and pollution monitoring.

Aquatic invertebrates play a pivotal role in (eco)toxicological assessments because they offer ethical, cost-effective and repeatable testing options. Additionally, their significance in the food chain and their ability to represent diverse aquatic ecosystems make them valuable subjects for (eco)toxicological studies. To ensure consistency and comparability across studies, international (eco)toxicology guidelines have been used to establish standardised methods and protocols for data collection, analysis and interpretation.

Interaction between nanomaterials and the innate immune system across evolution.

Interaction of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) with the immune system mainly occurs with cells and molecules of innate immunity, which are present in interface tissues of living organisms. Immuno-nanotoxicological studies aim at understanding if and when such interaction is inconsequential or may cause irreparable damage. Since innate immunity is the first line of immune reactivity towards exogenous agents and is highly conserved throughout evolution, this review focuses on the major effector cells of innate immunity, the phagocytes, and their major sensing receptors, Toll-like receptors (TLRs), for assessing the modes of successful versus pathological interaction between ENMs and host defences.

Nanomaterial Ecotoxicology in the Terrestrial and Aquatic Environment: A Systematic Review.

This systematic review analyzes the studies available on the ecotoxicity of nanomaterials (NMs) in the environment to understand where future research should be addressed for achieving Agenda 2030 goals on sustainable development and environmental safety. We discuss the status of NMs ecotoxicological effects across different organisms that are representative of all natural environments (land, air, water). A total of 1562 publications were retrieved from the Web of Science (all databases) by using the search criteria "nanomaterials" and "ecotoxicology"; among them, 303 studies were included in the systematic review because they met any of the following criteria: (i) focalize on both search criteria; (ii) deal with terrestrial, or aquatic environment; (iii) address models (organisms, cells) for the nano environmental risk assessment and exposure.

Polystyrene micro and nano-particles induce metabolic rewiring in normal human colon cells: A risk factor for human health.

Polystyrene is a thermoplastic polymer widely used in commercial products. Like all plastics, polystyrene can be degraded into microplastic and nanoplastic particles and ingested via food chain contamination. Although the ecological impact due to plastic contamination is well known, there are no studies indicating a carcinogenic potential of polystyrene microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs).

Immunosafe(r)-by-design nanoparticles: Molecular targets and cell signaling pathways in a next-generation model proxy for humans.

Nanotechnology research covers a wide field of studies pointing to design and shape complex matter in a scale between 1 and 100nm, with unique size-depending properties and applications. The value and potential of engineered nanoparticles in human diagnostics and therapies essentially relay on their safety and biocompatibility. Entering a cell, in fact, these particles take complex interactions with the surrounding biological environment, dramatically changing their own identity.

Methodological Approaches To Assess Innate Immunity and Innate Memory in Marine Invertebrates and Humans.

Assessing the impact of drugs and contaminants on immune responses requires methodological approaches able to represent real-life conditions and predict long-term effects. Innate immunity/inflammation is the evolutionarily most widespread and conserved defensive mechanism in living organisms, and therefore we will focus here on immunotoxicological methods that specifically target such processes. By exploiting the conserved mechanisms of innate immunity, we have examined the most representative immunotoxicity methodological approaches across living species, to identify common features and human proxy models/assays.

Immunomodulatory Function of Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-Functionalized Gold Nanoparticles in -Stimulated Sea Urchin Immune Cells.

We investigated the role of the gold nanoparticles functionalized with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP-AuNPs) on the innate immune response against an acute infection caused by in an in vitro immunological nonmammalian next-generation model, the sea urchin . To profile the immunomodulatory function of PVP-AuNPs (0.1 μg mL) in sea urchin immune cells stimulated by (10 μg mL) for 3 h, we focused on the baseline immunological state of the donor, and we analysed the topography, cellular metabolism, and expression of human cell surface antigens of the exposed cells, as well as the signalling leading the interaction between PVP-AuNPs and the -stimulated cells.

Development and validation of new analytical methods using sea urchin embryo bioassay to evaluate dredged marine sediments.

Management of dredged materials disposal is regulated by several environmental normative requirements, and it is often supported by the integration of chemical data with ecotoxicological characterization. The reliability of a bioassay to assess the potential toxicity of dredged sediments requires the selection of quality criteria that should be based on simple analytical methods and easily understandable hazard for politicians and environmental managers. The sea urchin embryo-toxicity bioassay is considered an essential component for evaluating the quality of sediments in harbour areas but its use, when based exclusively on the observation of normal vs.

Gold nanoparticles coated with polyvinylpyrrolidone and sea urchin extracellular molecules induce transient immune activation.

We report that the immunogenicity of colloidal gold nanoparticles coated with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP-AuNPs) in a model organism, the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus, can function as a proxy for humans for in vitro immunological studies. To profile the immune recognition and interaction from exposure to PVP-AuNPs (1 and 10 μg mL), we applied an extensive nano-scale approach, including particle physicochemical characterisation involving immunology, cellular biology, and metabolomics. The interaction between PVP-AuNPs and soluble proteins of the sea urchin physiological coelomic fluid (blood equivalent) results in the formation of a protein "corona" surrounding the NPs from three major proteins that influence the hydrodynamic size and colloidal stability of the particle.

Safety Evaluation of TiO Nanoparticle-Based Sunscreen UV Filters on the Development and the Immunological State of the Sea Urchin .

Sunscreens are emulsions of water and oil that contain filters capable of protecting against the detrimental effects of ultraviolet radiation (UV). The widespread use of cosmetic products based on nanoparticulate UV filters has increased concerns regarding their safety and compatibility with both the environment and human health. In the present work, we evaluated the effects of titanium dioxide nanoparticle (TiO NP)-based UV filters with three different surface coatings on the development and immunity of the sea urchin, .

Transcriptional and in silico analyses of MIF cytokine and TLR signalling interplay in the LPS inflammatory response of Ciona robusta.

The close phylogenetic relationship between Ciona robusta and vertebrates makes it a powerful model for studying innate immunity and the evolution of immune genes. To elucidate the nature and dynamics of the immune response, the molecular mechanisms by which bacterial infection is detected and translated into inflammation and how potential pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) are involved in pathogen recognition in tunicate C. robusta (formerly known as Ciona intestinalis), we applied an approach combining bacterial infections, next-generation sequencing, qRT-PCR, bioinformatics and in silico analyses (criteria of a p-value < 0.

Addressing Nanomaterial Immunosafety by Evaluating Innate Immunity across Living Species.

The interaction of a living organism with external foreign agents is a central issue for its survival and adaptation to the environment. Nanosafety should be considered within this perspective, and it should be examined that how different organisms interact with engineered nanomaterials (NM) by either mounting a defensive response or by physiologically adapting to them. Herein, the interaction of NM with one of the major biological systems deputed to recognition of and response to foreign challenges, i.

Living in future ocean acidification, physiological adaptive responses of the immune system of sea urchins resident at a CO vent system.

The effects of ocean acidification, a major anthropogenic impact on marine life, have been mainly investigated in laboratory/mesocosm experiments. We used the CO vents at Ischia as a natural laboratory to study the long-term effects of ocean acidification on the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus population resident in low-pH (7.8 ± 0.

Sea urchin immune cells in culture: formulation of the appropriate harvesting and culture media and maintenance conditions.

The sea urchin is an emergent model system for studying basic and translational immunology. Here we report a new method for the harvesting and maintenance of primary immune cells isolated from adult , a common Mediterranean sea urchin species. This optimised method uses coelomocyte culture medium, containing a high-affinity Ca chelator, as the ideal harvesting and anti-clotting vehicle and short-term culture medium (≤48 h), and artificial seawater as the master medium that maintains cell survival and physiological homeostasis over 2 weeks.

Probing safety of nanoparticles by outlining sea urchin sensing and signaling cascades.

Among currently identified issues presenting risks and benefits to human and ocean health, engineered nanoparticles (ENP) represent a priority. Predictions of their economic and social impact appear extraordinary, but their release in the environment at an uncontrollable rate is in striking contrast with the extremely limited number of studies on environmental impact, especially on the marine environment. The sea urchin has a remarkable sensing environmental system whose function and diversity came into focus during the recent years, after sea urchin genome sequencing.

Amino-modified polystyrene nanoparticles affect signalling pathways of the sea urchin (Paracentrotus lividus) embryos.

Polystyrene nanoparticles have been shown to pose serious risk to marine organisms including sea urchin embryos based on their surface properties and consequently behaviour in natural sea water. The aim of this study is to investigate the toxicity pathways of amino polystyrene nanoparticles (PS-NH, 50 nm) in Paracentrotus lividus embryos in terms of development and signalling at both protein and gene levels. Two sub-lethal concentrations of 3 and 4 μg/mL of PS-NH were used to expose sea urchin embryos in natural sea water (PS-NH as aggregates of 143 ± 5 nm).

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles stimulate sea urchin immune cell phagocytic activity involving TLR/p38 MAPK-mediated signalling pathway.

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2NPs) are one of the most widespread-engineered particles in use for drug delivery, cosmetics, and electronics. However, TiO2NP safety is still an open issue, even for ethical reasons. In this work, we investigated the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus immune cell model as a proxy to humans, to elucidate a potential pathway that can be involved in the persistent TiO2NP-immune cell interaction in vivo.

Sea urchin immune cells as sentinels of environmental stress.

Echinoderms, an ancient and very successful phylum of marine invertebrates, play a central role in the maintenance of ecosystem integrity and are constantly exposed to environmental pressure, including: predation, changes in temperature and pH, hypoxia, pathogens, UV radiation, metals, toxicants, and emerging pollutants like nanomaterials. The annotation of the sea urchin genome, so closely related to humans and other vertebrate genomes, revealed an unusually complex immune system, which may be the basis for why sea urchins can adapt to different marine environments and survive even in hazardous conditions. In this review, we give a brief overview of the morphological features and recognized functions of echinoderm immune cells with a focus on studies correlating stress and immunity in the sea urchin.

Common strategies and technologies for the ecosafety assessment and design of nanomaterials entering the marine environment.

The widespread use of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) in a variety of technologies and consumer products inevitably causes their release into aquatic environments and final deposition into the oceans. In addition, a growing number of ENM products are being developed specifically for marine applications, such as antifouling coatings and environmental remediation systems, thus increasing the need to address any potential risks for marine organisms and ecosystems. To safeguard the marine environment, major scientific gaps related to assessing and designing ecosafe ENMs need to be filled.