Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) are increasingly used in various products as coating and additive materials for household goods, personal-care products, and drug delivery systems. Because of their broad applications, the potential risks to nontarget organisms associated with their input into aquatic environments have generated much concern. We investigated the acute toxicity, morphological responses, and potential impact on physiology and metabolism in polyps exposed to spherical ZnO NPs of either 20 nm (ZnO NP₂₀) or 100 nm (ZnO NP₁₀₀). The median lethal concentrations (LC₅₀) of ZnO NP₂₀ were 55.3, 8.7, and 7.0 μg/mL after exposure for 48, 72, and 96 h, respectively; and those of ZnO NP₁₀₀ were 262.0, 14.9, and 9.9 μg/mL, respectively. The morphological responses of the hydra polyps to a range of ZnO NP concentrations suggest that ZnO NPs may negatively affect neurotransmission in Hydra. ZnO NPs may also induce abnormal regeneration in the polyps by affecting the expression of several genes related to the Wnt signaling pathway. The presence of ZnO NP₂₀ in the hydra tissue was confirmed with electron microscopy. A Gene Ontology analysis of the genes differentially expressed in hydra polyps after exposure to ZnO NP₂₀ for 12 or 24 h revealed changes in various processes, including cellular and metabolic process, stress response, developmental process, and signaling. A KEGG pathway analysis of hydra polyps after exposure of ZnO NP₂₀ or ZnO NP₁₀₀ for 12 or 24 h demonstrated various changes, including in the DNA replication and repair, endocytosis, lysosomes, Wnt signaling, and natural killer-cell-mediated cytotoxicity pathways, suggesting the mechanisms that maintain cellular homeostasis in response to ZnO NPs. Progesterone-mediated oocyte maturation was also affected by the ZnO NPs nanoparticles, suggesting that they are potential endocrine disruptors. This study should increase our concern regarding the dispersal of ZnO NPs in aquatic environments.

氧化锌纳米颗粒（ZnO NPs）越来越多地用于各种产品中，作为家庭用品，个人护理产品和药物输送系统的涂层和添加剂材料。由于它们的广泛应用，与非目标生物输入水生环境有关的潜在风险引起了人们的极大关注。我们研究了暴露于20 nm（ZnO NP ₂₀）或100 nm（ZnO NP ₁₀₀）球形ZnO NPs的息肉的急性毒性，形态反应以及对生理和代谢的潜在影响。暴露48、72和96小时后，ZnO NP _20的致死致命浓度中位数（LC ₅₀）分别为55.3、8.7和7.0μg/ mL。和ZnO NP _100的那些分别为262.0、14.9和9.9μg/ mL。水息肉对一定浓度的ZnO NP的形态学反应表明ZnO NPs可能对Hydra的神经传递产生负面影响。ZnO NPs还可能通过影响与Wnt信号通路相关的几种基因的表达来诱导息肉异常再生。通过电子显微镜确认水合组织中ZnO NP ₂₀的存在。暴露于ZnO NP ₂₀ 12或24 h后，水poly息肉中差异表达的基因的基因本体分析表明，各种过程都有变化，包括细胞和代谢过程，应激反应，发育过程和信号传导。ZnO NP ₂₀暴露后水hydr息肉的KEGG通路分析或ZnO NP ₁₀₀持续12或24 h表现出各种变化，包括DNA复制和修复，胞吞作用，溶酶体，Wnt信号传导和自然杀伤细胞介导的细胞毒性途径，提示维持响应ZnO NPs的细胞稳态的机制。 。孕酮介导的卵母细胞成熟也受到ZnO NPs纳米颗粒的影响，表明它们是潜在的内分泌干扰物。这项研究应增加我们对水生环境中ZnO NPs扩散的关注。