Silver nanoparticle accumulation by aquatic organisms – neutron activation as a tool for the environmental fate of nanoparticles tracing

Abstract

Abstract. Water environments are noted as being some of the most exposed to the infl uence of toxic nanoparticles (NPs). Therefore, there is a growing need for the investigation of the accumulation and toxicity of NPs to aquatic organisms. In our studies neutron activation followed by gamma spectrometry and liquid scintillation counting were used for studying the accumulation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) by freshwater larvae of Chironomus and fi sh Danio rerio. The infl uence of exposition time, concentration and the source of nanoparticles on the effi ciency of AgNP accumulation were studied. It was found that AgNPs are effi ciently accumulated by Chironomid larvae for the fi rst 30 hours of exposition; then, the amount of silver nanoparticles decreases. The silver content in larvae increases together with the NP concentration in water. Larvae which have accumulated AgNPs can be a source of nanoparticles for fi sh and certainly higher levels of Ag in the trophic chain. In comparison with water contamination, silver nanoparticles are more effi ciently accumulated if fi sh are fed with AgNP-contaminated food. Finally, it was concluded that the applied study strategy, including neutron activation of nanoparticles, is very useful technique for tracing the uptake and accumulation of NPs in organisms.

Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticle Circulation in an Aquatic Ecosystem

“…40% lower) implied that Ti was still available for organisms. These results clearly show that the bioaccumulation of Ti by D. rerio depends on the source of the NP contamination, which is in agreement with the results of previous studies on the bioaccumulation of silver NPs by the same fish (Asztemborska et al 2014 ). We found that the silver content in D. rerio living in water and containing NPs was 110-fold lower than that in organisms fed with contaminated Chironomid larvae, but remained in the digestive system (Asztemborska et al 2014 ).…”

“…One of the biggest threats of using NPs is the transfer and magnification of these particles in the trophic chain. The studies of silver bioaccumulation by freshwater larvae of the insect Chironomus (diptera: Chironomidae ) and D. rerio fish have shown that the amount of silver uptake by fish depends on the contamination source (Asztemborska et al 2014 ). Larvae that have accumulated silver NPs can be a source of NPs in fish and certainly higher organisms.…”

Aquatic Ecotoxicity Testing of Nanoparticles—The Quest To Disclose Nanoparticle Effects

“…However, these studies have rarely been conducted with an ionic control or a bulk version of the same materials as the ENPs, and this prevents any firm conclusions with regards to the influence of nanosized particles. In fish, the highest concentration of ENPs has also been found in the gut, whereas elevated concentrations of different ENPs have also been found in, for example, gills, liver, and brain . This shows a potential for translocation, even though the concentrations are lower than the concentrations observed in the gut.…”

The engineered nanoparticles in food chain: potential toxicity and effects

“…In this article, authors consider the application of neutron activation as one of the most appropriate methods for detection of accumulation of NPs. Authors emphasized that the transfer of NPs through food led to higher accumulation of Ag NPs compared when they enter into the living organism by consumption of NPs soluble in the water [132]. Y. J. Chae et al carried out the comparative analysis of the effect of Ag ions and Ag NPs on Japanese Medaka (Oryzias latipes) [133].…”