Year-end Sale % OFF 
Abstract
The interactions between carbon-based engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) and organic pollutants might enhance the uptake of contaminants into biota. The present integrated study aimed to assess this potential ‘Trojan Horse’, probing the interactive effects of purpose-made multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), a representative ENP, and benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), a ubiquitous polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) pollutant, on the marine mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis. Mussels were exposed to MWCNTs and BaP either alone or in various combinations. The co-exposure of BaP with MWCNTs revealed that the presence of MWCNTs enhanced the aqueous concentrations of BaP, thereby reducing the uptake of this pollutant by mussels as evidenced by lowering BaP concentrations in the tissues. Determination of DNA damage (comet assay) showed a concentration-dependent response for BaP alone which was absent when MWCNTs were present. Global gene expression using microarray analyses indicated that BaP and MWCNTs, in combination, differentially activated those genes which are involved in DNA metabolism compared to the exposures of BaP or MWCNTs alone, and the gene expression response was tissue-specific. Mechanisms to explain these results are discussed and relate primarily to the adsorption of BaP on MWCNTs, mediated potentially by van der Waals interactions. The use of a novel approach based on gold-labeled MWCNTs to track their uptake in tissues improved the traceability of nanotubes in biological samples. Overall, our results did not indicate the ‘Trojan Horse’ effects following co-exposure to the contaminants and clearly showed that the adsorption of BaP to MWCNTs modified the uptake of the pollutant in marine mussels.
Highlights
The production of manufactured or engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) and nanomaterials (NMs) has grown extensively over the last few years and they are entering into the environment (Giese et al., 2018)
At the end of the exposure period, a subtle increase in DNA strand breaks was observed in both the gills and the digestive gland (DG) of mussels exposed to the highest concentrations of multi36 walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) (0.1 and 1 mg L-1)
No increase in micronuclei was observed after MWCNTs exposure in the gills and
Summary
The production of manufactured or engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) and nanomaterials (NMs) has grown extensively over the last few years and they are entering into the environment (Giese et al., 2018) Both academic and industrial researchers are extensively exploring their unusual, sizedependent properties to develop the generation of functional materials. Whilst the benefits and improvements offered by nanotechnology are well established, significant concern regarding the potential risks have been raised This stems from the fact that nanoscale materials, in common with other pollutants, can enter the aquatic environment through different routes (Giese et al, 2018) with very little research to assess their potential impact on human health and the natural environment established
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
