In the last years, applications for silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) continue to increase together with the concerns about their potential input and hazards in aquatic ecosystems, where microalgae are ...key organisms. The aim of the present study was to assess the relative sensitivity of three marine microalgae species with differences in cell wall composition/structure exposed to Poly N-vinyl-2-pirrolidone/Polyethyleneimine (PVP/PEI) coated 5nm Ag NPs and uncoated 47nm Ag NP. As limited attention has been paid to the role of coating agents in NP toxicity, the effect of PVP/PEI alone was also evaluated. After 72h in artificial seawater, 47nm Ag NPs formed around 1400nm size aggregates while PVP/PEI coated 5nm Ag NPs reached around 90nm. Ag+ release in seawater was around 3% for 47nm Ag NPs and 30% for PVP/PEI coated 5nm Ag NPs. PVP/PEI coated 5nm Ag NP aggregates entrapped the algal cells in a network of heteroaggregates, while uncoated 47nm Ag NPs interacted to a lesser extent with algae. The concentration of PVP/PEI coated 5nm Ag NPs that exerted the median effect (EC50) on algae growth pointed out differences in algae sensitivity: T. suecica was about 10 times more sensitive than I. galbana and P. tricornutum. Further, the coating agent alone was as toxic to algae as PVP/PEI coated 5nm Ag NPs, suggesting that presence of the coating agent was the main driver of toxicity of coated NPs. Uncoated 47nm Ag NPs instead, showed similar toxicity towards algae although P. tricornutum was slightly less sensitive than T. suecica and I. galbana, which agrees with the presence of a resistant silicified cell wall in the diatom. The present work demonstrates differences in sensitivity of three marine microalgae, possibly related to their cell surface and size characteristics.
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•Effects of coated, uncoated Ag NPs and coating agent on microalgae were evaluated.•Coated 5 nm Ag NPs produced aggregates of smaller size and released 10 times more Ag ions than uncoated 47 nm Ag NPs.•Coated 5 nm Ag NPs were more toxic than uncoated 47 nm Ag NPs.•The coating agent alone was as toxic as coated 5 nm Ag NPs.•Tetraselmis suecica was about 10 times more sensitive than Isochrysis galbana and Phaeodactylum tricornutum.
Oysters are considered sentinel organisms in environmental water quality monitoring programs in which cell and tissue level biomarkers are reliable tools. Copper (Cu) and silver (Ag) are present in ...relatively high concentrations in several estuaries, potentially affecting environmental and human health. Crassostrea gigas oysters were exposed during 28 days to a range of environmentally relevant concentrations of Cu and Ag alone or in mixture. Effects were studied through cell and tissue level biomarkers approach. Results indicated: changes in the Condition Index (CI), altered digestive gland epithelium and presence of histopathological alterations in the gonad and digestive gland of exposed oysters. A time-dependent increase in lipofuscin contents in exposed oysters and an increase in intralysosomal metal accumulation in digestive cells through the experiment were also recorded. The Integrative Biological Response (IBR) Index showed that even at low exposure levels, Ag and Cu can produce alterations on oysters' health status.
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•Waterborne exposure at environmentally relevant concentrations of Cu and Ag.•Interactions between metals analysed through a battery of biomarkers.•Worsening in health status identified by Integrative Biological Response Index.•Worst health status found in the mixture containing high silver concentrations.
L’analyse des données de biosurveillance (RNO/ROCCH, IFREMER, 2003-2014) des concentrations en argent (Ag) et cuivre (Cu) dans les huîtres sauvages de 13 sites de la côte atlantique française a ...montré des variations spatio-temporelles reflétant les pressions locales. De fortes relations entre Ag et Cu semblent en partie dues à des facteurs physiologiques impliqués dans leur bioaccumulation chez les huîtres. Le rapport élémentaire Cu/Ag a montré un potentiel intéressant pour détecter des sources de Ag et Cu, invisibles à travers les concentrations absolues qui sont caractérisées par une très forte variabilité inter-individuelle. Les mesures chimiques et les observations histologiques dans les huîtres sauvages de la Gironde, ont montré une accumulation préférentielle de Ag et Cu dans la glande digestive, accompagnée d’importantes dégradations cellulaires. La méthode innovante du dopage isotopique est très sensible et précise pour observer les cinétiques rapides d’accumulation in vivo de Ag et Cu par voie directe à des niveaux d’exposition réalistes. Les signaux isotopiques ont permis de quantifier l’accumulation rapide des ETM dans les différents organes et d’observer des phénomènes de co-régulation entre Ag et Cu. De plus, elle représente une réelle avancée pour des expérimentations écotoxicologiques permettant d’analyser l’état de contamination initial et après exposition dans le même individu. L’étude de la voie trophique suggère une accumulation de Ag supérieure à celle de Cu chez les algues. La fraction de Ag et Cu particulaire potentiellement biodisponible des particules estuariennes a été estimée à 60% et 82%, respectivement. Les résultats ont montré que cette estimation dépend du temps d’exposition et de la concentration en sédiment, pouvant entraîner d’importantes sous-estimations.
The data-base analyses of the French biomonitoring program (RNO/ROCCH, IFREMER, 2003-2014) in terms of silver (Ag) and copper (Cu) concentrations accumulation in oysters from 13 sites along the French Atlantic Coast showed spatial and time-dependent variations reflecting local pressures. The high Ag and Cu relations seems to be partly due to physiological processes involved in their bioaccumulation by oysters. The Cu/Ag elementary ratios showed an interesting potential for Ag and Cu sources detection, which were invisible through the use of only absolute concentrations characterized by a high individual variability. Chemical measurements and histological observations performed in wild oysters from Gironde Estuary showed a preferential Ag and Cu accumulation in the digestive gland with important cellular damages. The innovative isotope spiking method is highly sensitive and precise to observe rapid in vivo Ag and Cu accumulation kinetics through direct pathway using close-to-real exposure concentrations. The isotopic signals allowed to quantify the rapid MTE accumulation in the different organs and to observe the Ag and Cu co-regulation. Furthermore, it represents a real step forward in ecotoxicological experiments allowing to obtain the initial and final contamination state inside the same organism. The study of the trophic pathway suggested a higher Ag accumulation in algae than for Cu. The Ag and Cu potentially bioavailable fraction in estuarine particles was estimated respectively at 60% and 82%. The results showed that this estimation depends on the exposure time and sediment concentration, which can lead to important under-estimations.
