Effects of cerium oxide nanoparticles on wild‐type and superoxide dismutase deletion mutant strains of Caenorhabditis elegans

Oxidative stress contributes to various human pathologies including stroke and Alzheimer's disease. We seek to investigate novel methods to ameliorate cellular damage induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS). Synthetic metal/metal‐oxide nanoparticles can act as potent antioxidants due to their catalytic properties and massive surface areas. Cerium oxide nanoparticles (nanoceria) exhibit both super‐oxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase mimetic activity and have demonstrated neuroprotective effects in in vitro models of oxidative stress. The aim of the present study was to examine the in vivo antioxidant activity of nanoceria on wild‐type, sod‐1 , and sod‐2 deletion mutant C. elegans nematodes. To evaluate ROS mitigation, we used downstream metrics of oxidative damage: lipofuscin accumulation (aggregates of oxidized cellular components), survival rates and maximum lifespan. Here we show that low concentrations of nanoceria tend to increase survival rates in N2 wild‐type, sod‐1 and sod‐2 animals, while higher concentrations tend to decrease survival rates. Additionally, most concentrations of nanoceria reduced the accumulation of lipofuscin. Taken together, these data suggest that nanoceria may be a viable approach for reducing oxidative damage under conditions of oxidative stress in vivo .