Effects of Zinc oxide Nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) on Hemocyte Types of Galleria mellonella

Abstract

In this study, 70 nm-sized and nanorod-shaped ZnO NPs concentrations (0.5, 1, 2.5, 5, and 10 µg/10 µl) was force-fed to fourth instar (110 ± 20 mg) Galleria mellonella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) larvae. The effects of ZnO NPs on plasmatocyte, granulocyte, spherulocyte, prohemocyte, oenocytoid, and coagulocyte numbers in hemolymph of G. mellonella larvae was determined. Results showed that treating G. mellonella with 10 μg/10 µl ZnO NPs significantly decreased spherulocytes numbers, whereas numbers of plasmatocyte, granulocyte, prohemocyte, oenocytoid, and coagulocyte numbers did not differ significantly when compared to the control group after 24 h force feeding treatment. There was a statistically significant difference between the experimental groups in the prohemocyte numbers of larvae that exposed to 1 and 5 μg/10 µl ZnO NPs.