ABSTRACT: Acute toxicity, bioaccumulation and effects of dietary transfer of silver from brine shrimps exposed to PVP/PEI-coated silver nanoparticles to zebrafish
Project description:Silver nanoparticles (NPs) are extensively used due to their antimicrobial activity and, therefore, their input into the ecosystem will increase. Silver can be bioaccumulated by low trophic level organisms and, then, incorporated into the food chain, reaching high level predators. The objectives of this study were to test the acute toxicity of N-vynil-2-pirrolidone/polyethylenimine (PVP-PEI) coated Ag NPs of 5 nm to brine shrimp (Artemia sp) larvae and to assess bioaccumulation and effects of silver transferred by the diet. For the later, brine shrimps were exposed to two different concentrations of Ag NPs, 100 ng/L as an environmentally relevant concentration and 100 µg/L as a likely effective concentration, in parallel with an unexposed control group and, then, used to feed zebrafish during 21 days in order to simulate two trophic levels of a simplified food web. For brine shrimp larvae, EC50 values ranged from 7.39 mg Ag/L (48 h post hatch larvae (hph) exposed for 48 h) to 19.63 mg Ag/L (24 hph larvae exposed for 24 h. Silver accumulation was measured in brine shrimps exposed to 0.1 and 1 mg/L of Ag NPs for 24 h. In zebrafish fed with brine shrimps exposed to Ag NPs, intestine showed higher metal accumulation than liver, although both organs presented the same pattern of dose and time-dependent metal accumulation as revealed by autometallography. Feeding of zebrafish for 3 days with brine shrimps exposed to 100 ng/L of Ag NPs was enough to impair fish health as reflected by the significant reduction of the lysosomal membrane stability and the presence of several histopathological conditions in the liver. Overall, results showed that Ag NPs were able to exert toxic effects on zebrafish through dietary exposure, even at an environmentally relevant concentration, which should act as concern of the need of studies in further detail about real impact of nanomaterials in the environment.
Project description:Nanoparticles are compounds of emerging concern with largely unknown risks for human and ecological health. It is crucial to evaluate their potential biological impact to prevent unintended adverse effects on human health and the environment. We analyzed the transcriptional effects of polyvinylpyrrolidone-coated silver nanoparticles (PVP-AgNPs) and silver nitrate (AgNO3) on the fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) to understand their potential toxicity and adverse outcomes. We also tested the feasibility of the fathead minnow as an alternative species to elucidate potential adverse effects on humans. Fathead minnow females were exposed to either 4 µg/L of AgNO3 or 70 µg/L of PVP-AgNPs for 96h. Microarray analyses were performed on liver and brain. Functional analysis identified potential toxicity pathways and molecular initiating events (MIEs) that were confirmed with functional assays. Data suggested that AgNO3 and PVP-AgNPs had both common and distinct transcriptional effects. The nanoparticles were linked to neurotoxicity and oxidative stress, and identified as a dopamine receptor antagonist. Silver nitrate was also identified as a potential neurotoxicant and was confirmed as adrenergic and cannabinoid receptors antagonist. While silver nitrate and PVP-AgNPs were both potential neurotoxicants, they appeared to act through different MIEs. Fathead minnow is a promising alternative species to elucidate potential adverse effects of relevance to human health. We analyzed the transcriptional effects of polyvinylpyrrolidone-coated silver nanoparticles (PVP-AgNPs) and silver nitrate (AgNO3) on the fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) to understand their potential toxicity and adverse outcomes. FHM were obtained from Aquatic Biosystems (Fort Collins, CO), held in aerated dechlorinated tap water and fed three times daily with Zeigler® AquaTox Feed Gardners, PA, USA). Fathead minnow females were exposed to either 4 µg/L of AgNO3 or 70 µg/L of PVP-AgNPs (Luna Innovations, Blackburn, VA) for 96h at 24°C ± 1 with a 90% water change at 48 hours. Microarray analyses were performed on liver and brain.
Project description:Applications for silver nanomaterials in consumer products are rapidly expanding, creating an urgent need for toxicological examination of the exposure potential and ecological effects of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The integration of genomic techniques into environmental toxicology has presented new avenues to develop exposure biomarkers and investigate the mode of toxicity of novel chemicals. In the present study we used a 15k oligonucleotide microarray for Daphnia magna, a freshwater crustacean and common indicator species for toxicity, to differentiate between particle specific and ionic silver toxicity and to develop exposure biomarkers for citrate-coated and PVP-coated AgNPs. Gene expression profiles revealed that AgNO3 and AgNPs have distinct expression profiles suggesting different modes of toxicity. However, the gene expression profiles of the different coated AgNPs were similar revealing similarities in the cellular effects of these two particles. Major biological processes disrupted by the AgNPs include protein metabolism and signal transduction. In contrast, AgNO3 caused a downregulation of developmental processes, particularly in sensory development. Metal responsive and DNA damage repair genes were induced by the PVP AgNPs, but not the other treatments. In addition, two specific biomarkers were developed for the environmental detection of PVP AgNPs; although further verification under different environmental conditions is needed. We exposed Daphnia magna to the 1/10 LC50 and LC25 of citrate coated and PVP-coated Ag nanoparticles and Ag+ as AgNO3 for 24-h. For each exposure condition, we performed 6 replicate exposures with 5 individuals in each. All exposures were compared to a unexposed laboratory control.
Project description:Nanoparticles are compounds of emerging concern with largely unknown risks for human and ecological health. It is crucial to evaluate their potential biological impact to prevent unintended adverse effects on human health and the environment. We analyzed the transcriptional effects of polyvinylpyrrolidone-coated silver nanoparticles (PVP-AgNPs) and silver nitrate (AgNO3) on the fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) to understand their potential toxicity and adverse outcomes. We also tested the feasibility of the fathead minnow as an alternative species to elucidate potential adverse effects on humans. Fathead minnow females were exposed to either 4 µg/L of AgNO3 or 70 µg/L of PVP-AgNPs for 96h. Microarray analyses were performed on liver and brain. Functional analysis identified potential toxicity pathways and molecular initiating events (MIEs) that were confirmed with functional assays. Data suggested that AgNO3 and PVP-AgNPs had both common and distinct transcriptional effects. The nanoparticles were linked to neurotoxicity and oxidative stress, and identified as a dopamine receptor antagonist. Silver nitrate was also identified as a potential neurotoxicant and was confirmed as adrenergic and cannabinoid receptors antagonist. While silver nitrate and PVP-AgNPs were both potential neurotoxicants, they appeared to act through different MIEs. Fathead minnow is a promising alternative species to elucidate potential adverse effects of relevance to human health.
Project description:Applications for silver nanomaterials in consumer products are rapidly expanding, creating an urgent need for toxicological examination of the exposure potential and ecological effects of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The integration of genomic techniques into environmental toxicology has presented new avenues to develop exposure biomarkers and investigate the mode of toxicity of novel chemicals. In the present study we used a 15k oligonucleotide microarray for Daphnia magna, a freshwater crustacean and common indicator species for toxicity, to differentiate between particle specific and ionic silver toxicity and to develop exposure biomarkers for citrate-coated and PVP-coated AgNPs. Gene expression profiles revealed that AgNO3 and AgNPs have distinct expression profiles suggesting different modes of toxicity. However, the gene expression profiles of the different coated AgNPs were similar revealing similarities in the cellular effects of these two particles. Major biological processes disrupted by the AgNPs include protein metabolism and signal transduction. In contrast, AgNO3 caused a downregulation of developmental processes, particularly in sensory development. Metal responsive and DNA damage repair genes were induced by the PVP AgNPs, but not the other treatments. In addition, two specific biomarkers were developed for the environmental detection of PVP AgNPs; although further verification under different environmental conditions is needed.
Project description:Silver exposure is toxic to fish due to disturbances of normal gill function. A proposed toxicity mechanism of silver nanoparticles (AgNP) is derived from the release of silver ions, similar to silver nitrate (AgNO3). However, some datasets support the fact that AgNP can have unique toxic effects that are mediated at the gill. To determine if differences between AgNO3 and AgNP toxicities exist, fathead minnows were exposed to 20 nm PVP- or citrate-coated silver nanoparticles (PVP-AgNP; citrate-AgNP) at the nominal concentration of 200 μg/L or AgNO3 at nominal 6 μg/L for 96 hr. This nominal concentration was applied to approximate the dissolved fraction of Ag in the AgNP suspensions. Mucus production in the water was measured. While mucus production was initially significantly increased in the first 4 h of exposure in all silver treatments compared to control, a decrease in mucus production was observed following 24-96 h of exposure. To determine which genes/pathways are driving this shift in mucus production, gills were dissected and microarray analysis was performed. Hierarchal clustering of differentially expressed genes revealed that all samples distinctly clustered by treatment. There were 109 differentially expressed genes shared among all Ag treatments compared to controls. However, there were 185, 423, and 615 differentially expressed genes unique to AgNO3, PVP-AgNP, and citrate-AgNP, relative to control. While functional analysis indicated several common enriched pathways, such as aryl hydrocarbon receptor signaling, this analysis also indicated some unique pathways between nanosilver and AgNO3. Our results show that AgNO3, PVP-AgNP, and citrate-AgNP exposure affected mucus production in fish gills and also lead to common and unique transcriptional changes.
Project description:This study investigated the pulmonary toxicity of Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) surface modified with polyethylenimine (PEI) or ascorbate (ASC), was investigated. Rats were exposed nose-only to a fixed exposure concentration of ASC or PEI coated CuO NPs for 5 consecutive days. On day 6 and day 27 post-exposure, pulmonary toxicity markers in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were analyzed and histopathological evaluation of the lungs was performed, along with microarray analyses on whole lung tissue samples.
Project description:We used microarrays to determine transcptional responses to silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in the mouse liver following oral ingestion. Liver is a major target organ for AgNP accumulation after oral or intravenous exposure. Given that physicochemical properties of AgNPs such as surface coating may influence transcriptional responses to exposure, we evaluated AgNPs with two different surface coatings such as citrate (cit) and polyvinylpirrolidone (PVP). We identified common and unique mRNA and lncRNA expression profiles for cit-AgNPs and PVP-AgNPs. PVP-AgNPs induced a more robust transctiptional response characterized by a 2-fold higher number of differentially expressed mRNAs and lncRNAs.
Project description:Silver nanoparticles cause toxicity in exposed organisms and are an environmental health concern. The mechanisms of silver nanoparticle toxicity, however, remain unclear. We examined the effects of exposure to silver in nano-, bulk- and ionic forms on zebrafish embryos (Danio rerio) using a Next Generation Sequencing approach in an Illumina platform (High-Throughput SuperSAGE). Significant alterations in gene expression were found for all treatments and many of the gene pathways affected, most notably those associated with oxidative phosphorylation and protein synthesis, overlapped strongly between the three treatments indicating similar mechanisms of toxicity for the three forms of silver studied. Changes in oxidative phosphorylation indicated a down-regulation of this pathway at 24h of exposure, but with a recovery at 48h. This finding was consistent with a dose-dependent decrease in oxygen consumption at 24h, but not at 48h, following exposure to silver ions. Overall, our data provide support for the hypothesis that the toxicity caused by silver nanoparticles is principally associated with bioavailable silver ions in exposed zebrafish embryos. These findings are important in the evaluation of the risk that silver particles may pose to exposed vertebrate organisms. mRNA profiles of whole zebrafish embryos at 24 and 48 hours post-fertilisation (hpf) exposed to silver in nano, bulk and ionic forms were generated by deep sequencing using HT-SuperSAGE (Illumina GA2).
Project description:Silver nanoparticles cause toxicity in exposed organisms and are an environmental health concern. The mechanisms of silver nanoparticle toxicity, however, remain unclear. We examined the effects of exposure to silver in nano-, bulk- and ionic forms on zebrafish embryos (Danio rerio) using a Next Generation Sequencing approach in an Illumina platform (High-Throughput SuperSAGE). Significant alterations in gene expression were found for all treatments and many of the gene pathways affected, most notably those associated with oxidative phosphorylation and protein synthesis, overlapped strongly between the three treatments indicating similar mechanisms of toxicity for the three forms of silver studied. Changes in oxidative phosphorylation indicated a down-regulation of this pathway at 24h of exposure, but with a recovery at 48h. This finding was consistent with a dose-dependent decrease in oxygen consumption at 24h, but not at 48h, following exposure to silver ions. Overall, our data provide support for the hypothesis that the toxicity caused by silver nanoparticles is principally associated with bioavailable silver ions in exposed zebrafish embryos. These findings are important in the evaluation of the risk that silver particles may pose to exposed vertebrate organisms.