Evaluation of polylactic acid nanoparticles safety using Drosophila model

Cytotoxicity of nanoparticles and their sub-lethal effect on cell behavior and cell fate are a high topic of studies in the nanomaterial field. With an explosion of nanoparticle types (size, shape, polarity, stiffness, composition, etc.), Drosophila has become an attractive animal model for high throughput analysis of these nanocarriers in the drug delivery field with applications in cancer therapy, or simply to generate a fast and complete cytotoxic study of a peculiar nanoparticle. In respect to that, we have conducted an <i>in cellulo</i> study of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) nanoparticle cytotoxicity, and determined that near lethal nanoparticle doses, oxidative stress as well as P53 and ATP pathways may lead to cell cycle arrest at G1, and ultimately to cell death. Neither viability nor the development of Drosophila larvae are affected by the ingestion of PLA nanoparticles at sub-lethal concentrations. Drosophila will be a useful model to study PLA and PLA-modified nanoparticle toxicity, and nanoparticle fate after ingestion.