Abstract
Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are used intensively in medical and industrial applications. Environmental concerns have arisen from the potential release of this material into aquatic ecosystems. The aims of this research were to evaluate the potential accumulation of silver in the whole body of organisms and analyze the effects of AgNPs on the survival and reproduction of the snail Biomphalaria glabrata. Results show slow acute toxicity with a 10-day LC50 of 18.57 mg/L and an effective decrease in the eggs and egg clutches per organism exposed to tested concentrations. Based on these data, the No Observed Effect Concentration (NOEC) observed was <1 mg/L for snail reproduction. For silver accumulation, we observed that uptake was faster than elimination, which was very slow and still incomplete 35 days after the end of the experiment. However, the observed accumulation was not connected with a concentration/response relationship, since the amount of silver was not equivalent to a higher reproductive effect. The data observed show that AgNPs are toxic to B. glabrata, and suggest that the snail has internal mechanisms to combat the presence of Ag in its body, ensuring survival and reduced reproduction and showing that the species seems to be a potential indicator for Ag presence in contaminated aquatic ecosystems.
Highlights
Silver is a rare element in the earth’s crust, which means that its presence is low
To obtain the dilutions for the reproduction assay, an acute preliminary assay determined the lethal concentration for 50% of the organisms (LC50 )
The lethal concentration for 50% of the organisms was calculated using the Trimmed Spearman
Summary
The release of a small mass of silver into water bodies by human activities can generate impacts on the natural conditions of the environment [1]. Different types of nanomaterials are currently incorporated into industrialized products, and among these are silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). They are widely used in the manufacture of textiles, materials to eliminate microorganisms and the odor from clothes, food packaging, water filters, paints, cosmetics, deodorants and biomedical products, mainly where antimicrobial properties are desirable [2,3,4]. Due to the classical accumulation of metals in living organisms, it is important to evaluate the potential bioaccumulation of Ag+ , to help assess the predicted uses for this nanoscale material and to take measures in limiting activities that may present excessive risks to human health and the environment
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