With the wide-spread use of nano-products in our daily life, many health concerns have been raised due to exposure to nanoparticles. However, detailed molecular mechanisms are not well understood. Given the extensive regulatory role of neuropeptides in various physiological processes, we seek to measure the expression level and localization changes of neuropeptides upon exposure to silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in crustacean. Herein we will implement a multi-faceted strategy based on mass spectrometry (MS) to qualitatively and quantitatively analyze the neuropeptidomic changes under nanotoxicity stress in the nervous system. By mapping the spatial distribution of various neuropeptide families and assessing their relative abundance levels in several major neuroendocrine organs, peptidergic regulation of physiological response to nanotoxicity can be probed with unprecedented detail. In this study, different amounts of AgNPs were injected into blue crab <i>Callinectes sapidus</i> at their leg joint while the control animal was injected with crab saline. Neuropeptides were extracted from dissected major neuroendocrine organs. The relative expression level changes of neuropeptides observed after exposure to AgNPs were characterized by isotopic dimethyl labeling. MALDI MS imaging studies revealed changes of spatial distributions of different neuropeptide families as well as distinct isoforms from the same neuropeptide families.

Multifaceted mass spectrometric investigation of neuropeptidomic changes in decapod crustaceans after exposure to silver nanoparticles

256th National Meeting (2018)

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