J Korean Soc Environ Eng. 2016; 38(7): 395-401.
Published online 2016 July 31.
Trend of Multigenerational Transfer and Toxicity Studies Using Nanomaterials
Department of Environmental Health Science, Konkuk University
Received 2016 March 10; Accepted 2016 May 13.
ABSTRACT
Nano-saftey has become an emerging issue recently, because of the broad use of nanomaterials in nano-industries and commercial areas. For a sustainable development in the nano-industry, active studies on nano-safety should be executed, especially on the potential risks in engineered nanomaterials (ENMs). Although acute and chronic assessments of nanomaterials have been extensively studied in many studies, multigenerational studies are very scarce. Overall, multigenerational studies have progressed as two different trends, studying post-generational effects or trans-generation effects. This study intended to suggest further nano-safety studies based on the trends and limitations of current ones. Through a comparative analysis, we investigated peer-reviewed multigenerational studies that used nanomaterials. Thirteen studies on post-generation effects confirmed generational nano-toxicity via several bioassays, such as mortality, fertility, and behavioral assays. Seven studies on trans-generation effects demonstrated nanomaterial pathways to next generations, using imaging techniques. Until now, mechanisms for post-generational nano-toxicity has been rarely proposed. Thus, we propose that complementary studies on such mechanisms are imperative for future studies.
Keywords :
Multi-generational Study, Postgenerational Effect, Generational Transfer, Nanomaterial
