{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,7]],"date-time":"2026-08-07T15:33:12Z","timestamp":1786116792574,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":54,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"15","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,6]],"date-time":"2026-08-06T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1785974400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Research Project Unit of Tanta University, Arab Republic of Egypt","award":["5-15-5"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["5-15-5"]}]},{"name":"Ministry of International Cooperation\u2014Arab Republic of Egypt","award":["F-089\/26-AUG-2014"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["F-089\/26-AUG-2014"]}]},{"name":"National Institute of Health"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nanomaterials"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Nanomaterials (NMs) offer substantial technological advantages, yet their potential adverse biological effects remain a critical concern. This study investigates the maternal\u2013fetal toxicity of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) following a single intravenous (i.v.) administration in vivo, focusing on oxidative DNA damage, cytotoxicity, and transplacental transfer. The median lethal dose (LD50) of ZnONPs was determined to be 154 mg\/kg of body weight. Pregnant rats on gestational day 19 were exposed to two sub-lethal doses (3.09 and 7.71 mg\/kg; corresponding to 1\/50 and 1\/20 of LD50). Subsequent analyses assessed Zn2+ accumulation, histopathological alterations in maternal organs, and induction of 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) in maternal and fetal tissues. ZnONPs demonstrated systemic distribution, with pronounced accumulation in the liver, spleen, and placenta, and were shown to cross the placental barrier, leading to fetal exposure. Elevated Zn2+ concentrations were positively correlated with cytotoxicity and 8-OHdG induction across maternal and fetal compartments. These findings provide compelling evidence of ZnONPs-mediated cyto- and genotoxicity in both mothers and offspring, underscoring the need to define safety margins and regulatory thresholds for nanomaterial exposure in biomedical and environmental contexts.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nano16150967","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,6]],"date-time":"2026-08-06T11:43:02Z","timestamp":1786016582000},"page":"967","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Transplacental Toxicity of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles: Maternal-Fetal DNA Damage and Organ Accumulation"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Elsayed I.","family":"Salim","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Laboratory of Molecular Carcinogenesis, Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Tanta University, Tanta 31527, Egypt"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Naira M.","family":"Al-Fiky","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Laboratory of Molecular Carcinogenesis, Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Tanta University, Tanta 31527, Egypt"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3389-2693","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Khaled Y.","family":"Abdel-Halim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Mammalian & Aquatic Toxicology, Central Agricultural Pesticides Laboratory (CAPL), Agricultural Research Center (ARC), Dokki, Giza 12618, Egypt"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5843-1119","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dina M. M.","family":"AlSadek","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Histology and Cytology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44511, Egypt"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2403-3785","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Haitham A.","family":"Badr","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44511, Egypt"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mohamed Monir","family":"Hammad","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, Alexandria 21568, Egypt"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hassan A.","family":"Basha","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Laboratory of Molecular Carcinogenesis, Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Tanta University, Tanta 31527, Egypt"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Fouad A.","family":"Abou-Zaid","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Laboratory of Molecular Carcinogenesis, Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Tanta University, Tanta 31527, Egypt"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hafiz","family":"Ahmed","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"GlycoMantra Inc., 1450 South Rolling Road, Baltimore, MD 21227, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,6]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"2231","article-title":"Advances in metallic and metal oxide nanoparticles: Synthesis, properties, and applications in electronics and biomedicine","volume":"26","author":"Singh","year":"2026","journal-title":"J. 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