Abstract
Nanoparticles are ubiquitous in the environment. They originate from anthropogenic or natural sources or they are intentionally produced for different purposes. There exist manifold applications of nanoparticles in modern life leading unavoidably to a confrontation and interaction between nanomaterial and living organisms. Based on their wide distribution tending to increase steadily, the influence of particles based on silica and silver, exhibiting nominal sizes between 0.65 nm and 200 nm, on the physiology of the mycotoxigenic filamentous fungus Penicillium verrucosum was analyzed. The applied concentration and time-point, the size and the chemical composition of the particles was shown to have a strong influence on growth and mycotoxin biosynthesis. On microscopic scale it could be shown that silver nanoparticles attach to the mycelial surface. Moreover, silver nanoparticles with 0.65 nm and 5 nm in size were shown to internalize within the cell, form agglomerates in the cytoplasm and associate to cell organelles.
Highlights
Worldwide, a quarter of the cereal based crop is contaminated by filamentous fungi and their mycotoxins and has to be rejected at the expense of the food supply of a steadily rising world population [1]
P. verrucosum is known as wheat contaminant producing the mycotoxins ochratoxin A and citrinin
The aim of this study was to investigate if nanoparticles have an influence on growth and mycotoxin biosynthesis of fungi
Summary
A quarter of the cereal based crop is contaminated by filamentous fungi and their mycotoxins and has to be rejected at the expense of the food supply of a steadily rising world population [1]. The climate change contributes to a further deterioration of the situation [2,3]. Of utmost importance are fungi which produce mycotoxins. Among the most important mycotoxins are aflatoxins (Aspergillus), trichothecenes and fumonisins (Fusarium), alternariol and tenuazonic acid (Alternaria) and in case of Penicillium ochratoxins, patulin and citrinin [4]. Penicillium verrucosum, which has been used throughout this study, represents a worldwide distributed fungal species. P. verrucosum is known as wheat contaminant producing the mycotoxins ochratoxin A and citrinin
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