Aquatic organisms modulate the bioreactivity of engineered nanoparticles: focus on biomolecular corona

Abstract

The increased use of nanoparticle (NP)-enabled materials in everyday-life products have raised concerns about their environmental implications and safety. This motivated the extensive research in nanoecotoxicology showing the possibility that NPs could cause harm to the aquatic organisms if present at high concentrations. By contrast, studies dealing with influence that organisms could exert on the fate and thus effects of NPs are still very rare. Drawing on the existing up-to-date knowledge we critically discuss the formation of biomolecular corona as one of the mechanisms by which organisms exerted control on the NPs fate in the aquatic and biotic environments. We focused the formation of corona by exogeneous and endogenous biomolecules and illustrated the discussion with the specific example of phytoplankton and aquatic invertebrate species. We highlighted the necessity to incorporate the concept of biomolecular corona within more general framework considering the feedback of aquatic organisms and the control they exert in shaping the fate and impact of NPs in the aquatic and biological environment. In our view such broader perspective will contribute to get novel insights into the drivers of environmental transformations of NPs and their mechanisms, which are important in environmental risk assessment.

Progress in Research on the Bioavailability and Toxicity of Nanoplastics to Freshwater Plankton

“…Given the existing knowledge about the role of freshwater EPS in the fate and transformations of metal-containing nanoparticles [123], it is anticipated that they could significantly affect the bioreactivity of NPLs. Indeed, the need to incorporate the concept of the biomolecular corona into a broader framework that considers interactions and feedback between phyto-and zooplankton in response to nanoparticles exposure has been highlighted [69].…”

“…Recent reviews have highlighted how phytoplankton influence the bioavailability of NPLs through the excretion of various EPS, forming the eco-corona [68,69]. EPS, ubiquitous in the environment [70], can account for up to 25% of natural organic matter in freshwater ecosystems, particularly during algal blooms [71].…”

Importance of Nano-Sized Feed Additives in Animal Nutrition

“…In order to prevent denaturation and loss of function due to protein/enzyme binding of NPs, enzyme molecules are combined and cross-linked together to form NPs in a prearranged manner. This method has succeeded in unlocking the manufacturing potential of biosensors with increased analytical performance (Riley & Narayan, 2021;Liu et al, 2022;Thapa et al, 2022). In addition, recent research indicates that enzyme NPs exhibit high catalytic efficiency and thermal stability, which enhances both the temperature resistance and cellulose degradation capacity of these NPs (Khizar et al, 2021;Gu et al, 2022;Liu et al, 2022).…”

“…Recent in vitro and animal studies have shown that excessive accumulation of NPs can damage cellular organs such as the liver, spleen, kidneys, and respiratory tract and cause toxic effects (Surendhiran et al, 2020). Further research is needed to assess the potential risks to human and animal health and the environment from exposure to NPs (Liu et al, 2022).…”

Unraveling the impact of phytoplankton secretions on the behavior of metal-containing engineered nanoparticles in aquatic environment

“…Engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) have dimensions ranging from 1 to 100 nm (Vert et al, 2012), and possess unique properties which make them highly valuable for various applications in technology, medicine, environment and consumer products (Zhang et al, 2016;Mitchell et al, 2021;Keller et al, 2023). When released into freshwater environment, ENPs can undergo a variety of physical and chemical transformations (Levard et al, 2012;Batley et al, 2013;Yu et al, 2018;Wheeler et al, 2021;Liu et al, 2022;Rex M et al, 2023). The interconnected transformation processes determine collectively the environmental behavior and effects of ENPs on aquatic biota (French et al, 2009;Fernando and Zhou, 2019;Khort et al, 2022).…”