Concerns about the potential environmental risks of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) are becoming an important issue because of their rapid growth in different fields. ZnO NPs are inevitably released in the environment during the production, transport, use and disposal process. Therefore, it is necessary to understand their toxicities and mode of actions. This review summarizes the toxic effects of ZnO NPs with different properties and exposed conditions on different species. The mechanisms of ZnO NPs on living organisms could be mainly attributed to one or more of the following aspects: the physical damage of direct contact, the dissolved zinc ions and the ROS-mediated mechanism. This paper systematically reviews the toxic effects of ZnO NPs on organisms and puts forward the existing problems, which are helpful for the safe and efficient use of ZnO NPs, providing the basis for further study of the toxic effects of ZnO NPs and establishing a comprehensive and safe evaluation system.

由于氧化锌纳米颗粒（ZnO NPs）在不同领域的快速发展，对潜在的环境风险的关注正成为一个重要的问题。ZnO NP在生产，运输，使用和处置过程中不可避免地释放到环境中。因此，有必要了解它们的毒性和作用方式。这篇综述总结了具有不同特性和暴露条件的ZnO NPs对不同物种的毒性作用。ZnO NPs对生物的作用机理主要归因于以下一个或多个方面：直接接触的物理破坏，溶解的锌离子和ROS介导的机理。本文系统地回顾了ZnO NPs对生物体的毒性作用，并提出了存在的问题，