Toxic effects of nanoparticles on bioluminescence activity, seed germination, and gene mutation
2014
Ko, Kyung-Seok | Kong, In Chul
The potential environmental toxicities of several metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs; CuO, TiO₂, NiO, Fe₂O₃, ZnO, and Co₃O₄) were evaluated in the context of bioluminescence activity, seed germination, and bacterial gene mutation. The bioassays exhibited different sensitivities, i.e., each kind of NP exhibited a different level of toxicity in each of the bioassays. However, with a few exceptions, CuO and ZnO NPs had most toxic for germination of Lactuca seed (EC₅₀0.46 mg CuO/l) and bioluminescence (EC₅₀1.05 mg ZnO/l). Three NPs (Co₃O₄, TiO₂, and Fe₂O₃) among all tested concentrations (max. 1,000 mg/l) showed no inhibitory effects on the tested organisms, except for Co₃O₄NPs on bioluminescence activity (EC₅₀62.04 mg/l). The sensitivity of Lactuca seeds was greater than that of Raphanus seeds (EC₅₀0.46 mg CuO/l versus 26.84 mg CuO /l). The ranking of metal toxicity levels on bioluminescence was in the order of ZnO > CuO > Co₃O₄ > NiO > Fe₂O₃, TiO₂, while CuO > ZnO > NiO > Co₃O₄, Fe₂O₃, TiO₂on germination. No revertant mutagenic ratio (greater than 2.0) of Salmonella typhimurium TA 98 was observed under any tested condition. These findings demonstrate that several bioassays, as opposed to any single one, are needed for the accurate assessment of NP toxicity on ecosystems.
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