Due to the active development and application of nanotechnology, nanoparticles have emerged as a new class of environmental pollutants. The aim of the study was to investigate quantum dots (QDs) access routes and distribution in embryos and larvae of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss and to determine the toxicity of QDs to rainbow trout larvae depending on the duration of exposure. CdSe/ZnS-COOH QDs at sublethal concentration was used during the toxicity test (1, 4 and 14 days). The results showed that QDs could get from the solutions into the larvae after hatching. QDs induced a significant increase in mortality, gill ventilation frequency and behavioral responses and a decrease in relative body mass in larvae at the end of the test. Larvae exposed to QDs were found to possess developmental malformations (blood clots). It was found that biological responses of larvae significantly depended on the duration of exposure to QDs.
Keywords: Larvae; Nanoparticles; Rainbow trout; Toxicity.