Genomic mutations induced in C. elegans after their multigenerational exposure to nanomaterials

Our previous study provided evidence for heritable increases in reproductive sensitivity in a the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans after multigenerational exposure to silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs). The aim of this study was to determine whether such inheritable effects are correlated with induced germline mutations in C. elegans after multigenerational exposure to Ag-NPs. Individual lineages were established using wildtype C. elegans from the progeny of a single nematode and exposures to equitoxic concentrations of AgNO3, pristine and aged Ag-NPs were carried out from the F1 generation to the F10 generation. There was a significant increase in the number of mutations, mostly represented by single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), in each Ag treatment when compared to controls. Mutations shared among Ag treatments, but not in controls suggested a common mechanism of DNA damage.