Title:Invertebrate Models for Investigating the Impact of Nanomaterials on Innate Immunity: The Example of the Marine Mussel Mytilus spp.
Volume: 2
Issue: 2
Author(s): Laura Canesi, Caterina Ciacci and Teresa Balbi
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Nanosafety, innate immunity, invertebrates, marine bivalves, Mytilus, haemocytes, immunomodulation, nanosafety.
Abstract: Evaluating the interactions of nanomaterials (NMs) with the immune system is becoming an
essential part of assessing nanosafety, not only for human health, but also for organisms living in different
environments. The interactions between NMs and the components of the immune system in wildlife have
been recently intensively investigated. Invertebrates represent more than 90% of animal species and are
widespread in all environments, where they are subjected to a wide range of stressors. Despite invertebrates
lack an adaptive immunity, they have developed a potent and complex innate immune system
showing many commonalities to that of vertebrates. Conservation of the main mechanisms of innate immunity
may greatly help understanding the possible interactions of NMs with the immune system across
different taxa. However, the utilization of invertebrate models for immunosafety studies requires a thorough
basic knowledge on the physiological regulation of the immune response of the tested species, together
with information on particle behavior in the receiving environment, as well as routes of exposure
in different cells and organisms. In this work, available data on the effects of NMs on the immune system
of invertebrates are summarized. In particular, the results obtained in the marine bivalve, the mussel Mytilus,
are summarized, demonstrating that mussel immune cells, the haemocytes, represent a suitable model for
investigating the impact of NMs on innate immunity. These results underline how the utilization of invertebrate
models represents a promising field for designing environmentally safer, "green" nanomaterials.