Alumina nanoparticles alter rhythmic activities of local interneurons in the antennal lobe of Drosophila

Abstract

The special physical and chemical properties of nanomaterials open up new capabilities and functions. However, concerns have been raised about the risks produced by nanoparticles, their potential to cause undesirable effects, such as contamination of the environment and other adverse effects. In this study, we used Drosophila as a model organism to explore the effects of nano-alumina on the central nervous system. We focused on the rhythmic activities in the antennal lobe of Drosophila using patch clamps to record the electrophysiological activities. We found that 15 min after application of alumina nanoparticles, the average frequencies of spontaneous activities were significantly decreased compared with control groups (0.65 ± 0.13 Hz, 0.34 ± 0.07 Hz, *p < 0.05). These results indicated that nano-alumina might have adverse effects on the central nervous system in Drosophila.

Keywords::

• Nano-alumina
• oscillation, local interneurons
• antennal lobe, Drosophila

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Hundred Talents Program of Sun Yat-sen University (50000-3181308), National Science Foundation (30970980), Industry-University Research Cooperation Projects of Guangdong Province (2010B080701102, 2010B080704004) and College Students Innovation Program (1055810102). We thank Prof. Haifang Wang (Institute of Nanochemistry and Nanobiology, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China) for the supply of nano and submicron alumina particles. And we thank Xutian Wang, Ying Yang, Yujie Xie, and Dan Wang for their help in the data analysis.