Silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) and cadmium are major environmental pollutants that have severe detrimental effects on living organisms. Recent studies have demonstrated that the combined exposure of SiNPs and heavy metals is more toxic than individual exposure. However, studies on the effects of the combined exposure of SiNPs and cadmium, on the cardiovascular system are rare. In this study, zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos were exposed to a combination of SiNPs and experimentally safe concentrations CdCl₂ for studying the alterations in heart morphology, heart rate, apoptosis, and vascular endothelial cells. The results demonstrated that the detrimental effects of SiNPs+CdCl₂ exposure on the heart rate and vascular endothelial cells were more severe than those following exposure to SiNPs or CdCl₂ alone. Gene expression analysis revealed that apoptosis and inflammation could be the major pathways underlying the toxicity caused by the combined exposure of SiNPs and CdCl₂.

二氧化硅纳米颗粒（SiNPs）和镉是主要的环境污染物，对生物体具有严重的有害影响。最近的研究表明，SiNPs和重金属的联合暴露比单独暴露更具毒性。但是，关于SiNPs和镉的联合暴露对心血管系统影响的研究很少。在这项研究中，斑马鱼（Danio rerio）胚胎暴露于SiNPs和实验安全浓度的CdCl ₂的组合中，用于研究心脏形态，心率，细胞凋亡和血管内皮细胞的变化。结果表明，SiNPs + CdCl ₂的有害作用心率和血管内皮细胞的暴露比单独暴露于SiNPs或CdCl ₂时更严重。基因表达分析表明，凋亡和炎症可能是SiNPs和CdCl ₂联合暴露引起毒性的主要途径。