Reproductive toxicity induced by nickel nanoparticles in Caenorhabditis elegans.

To investigate the reproductive toxicity and underlying mechanism of nickel nanoparticles (Ni NPs), Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) were treated with/without 1.0, 2.5, and 5.0 μg cm of Ni NPs or nickel microparticles (Ni MPs). Generation time, fertilized egg numbers, spermatide activation and motility were detected. Results indicated, under the same treatment doses, that Ni NPs induced higher reproductive toxicity to C. elegans than Ni MPs. Reproductive toxicities observed in C. elegans included a decrease in brood size, fertilized egg and spermatide activation, but an increase in generation time and out-of-round spermatids. The reproductive toxicity of Ni NPs on C. elegans may be induced by oxidative stress. The reproductive toxicity in C. elegans induced by Ni NPs is consistent with our previous results in the rats. Therefore, C. elegans can be used as an alternative model to detect the early reproductive toxicity of Ni NPs exposure. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 32: 1530-1538, 2017.