[Frontiers in Bioscience E3, 221-226, January 1, 2011]
Heavy metals nanoparticles in fetal kidney and liver tissues

Antonietta M. Gatti1, Paolo Bosco2, Francesco Rivasi1, Sebastiano Bianca3, Giuseppe Ettore3,Luigi Gaetti4, Stefano Montanari5, Giovanni Bartoloni6, Diego Gazzolo7,8

1Laboratory of Biomaterials, Dept. of Specialistic Surgeries, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena Italy, 2Institute for Research on Mental Retardation and Brain Aging IRCCS Oasi di Troina, Troina, Italy, 3Department of Maternal, Fetal and Neonatal Health G. Garibaldi Hospital, Catania, Italy, 4Institute of Anatomy, Mantova Hospital, Mantova, Italy, 5Nanodiagnostics Research Laboratory, Modena, Italy, 6Institute of Perinatal Malformative Disorders, G. Garibaldi Hospital, Catania, Italy, 7Department of Pediatrics and Neuroscience Giannina Gaslini Children's University Hospital, Genoa, Italy, 8Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, C. Arrigo Children's Hospital, Alessandria, Italy

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Abstract
2. Introduction
3. Materials and methods
3.1. Sample preparations
3.2. Metal particles measurements
3.3. Statistical analysis
4. Results
4.1. FEG -ESEM microscopy patterns
4.2. Special features
5. Discussion
6. Acknowledgements
7. References

1. ABSTRACT

The proliferation of the nanotechnologies with the production of engineered nanoparticles presents a dilemma to regulators regarding hazard identification mostly for human health. We investigated the presence of inorganic micro and nanosized contamination in fetal liver and kidney tissues by Field Emission Gun-Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope (FEGESEM) innovative observations. An observational study in 16 fetuses, complicated (n=8) or not (n=8) by neural tube defects, whose mothers obtained the authorization for abortion between 21-23 weeks of gestation was carried out. Heavy metals concentrations in maternal blood were undetectable. FEGESEM assessment showed particles of iron, silicon, aluminum and magnesium in different tissues analyzed. The mean size and the number of the foreign bodies detected in kidney and liver tissues were higher in NTD fetuses as well as the number of total particles (P<0.05, for all). The present study shows first the presence of xenobiotic, nanoscaled contamination, not detectable in maternal blood in fetuses. Data are suggestive and open-up a new clue for further investigations to elucidate the relationship between pollution at nanoscale stage and multiorgan damage.