Authors: María Benavides Javier FernándezLodeiro Pedro Coelho Carlos Lodeiro Mário S Diniz
Publish Date: 2016/10/27
Volume: 23, Issue: 24, Pages: 24578-24591
Abstract
The increasing use of nanoparticles NPs worldwide has raised some concerns about their impact on the environment The aim of the study was to assess the toxicity of metal oxide nanoparticles singly or combined in a freshwater fish Carassius auratus The fish were exposed for 7 14 and 21 days to different concentrations of NPs 10 μg Al2O3L−1 10 μg ZnOL−1 10 μg Al2O3L−1 plus 10 μg ZnOL−1 100 μg Al2O3L−1 100 μg ZnOL−1 and 100 μg Al2O3L−1 plus 100 μg ZnOL−1 At the end of each exposure period antioxidant enzyme activity catalase glutathioneStransferase and superoxide dismutase lipid peroxidation and histopathology were assessed in the gills and livers of C auratus The results show an increase in catalase CAT and superoxide dismutase SOD activity in the gills and livers of fish especially after 14 days of exposure to single and combined NPs followed by a reduction at 21 days An increase in glutathione Stransferase GST was observed in gills after 7 days for all tested NP concentrations single and combined while in livers a significant increase was determined after 14 days of exposure to 100 μgL−1 of both single ZnO and Al2O3 NPs Lipid peroxidation LPO significantly increased in gills after 7 days of exposure to 100 μgL−1 Al2O3 NPs single or combined In livers LPO increased significantly after 7 days of exposure to all tested concentrations of both single ZnO and Al2O3 except for 10 μg Al2O3L−1 and after 14 days of exposure to ZnO 10 and 100 μgL−1 and Al2O3 100 μgL−1 The results from histological observations suggest that exposure to metal oxide NPs affected both livers and gills presenting alterations such as gill hyperplasia and liver degeneration However the most pronounced effects were found in gills In general this study shows that the tested NPs single or combined are capable of causing sublethal effects on C auratus but when combined NPs seem to be slightly more toxic than when added aloneThis work was supported by the Unidade de Ciências Biomoleculares AplicadasUCIBIO which is financed by national funds from FCT/MEC project UID/Multi/04378/2013 Scientific PROTEOMASS Association General FundsPortugal LAQV/REQUIMTE UID/QUI/50006/2013 and cofinanced by the ERDF under the PT2020 Partnership Agreement POCI010145FEDER007728
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