Cytotoxicity and Physiological Effects of Silver Nanoparticles on Marine Invertebrates

Abstract

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) incorporation in commercial products is increasing due to their remarkable physical and chemical properties and their low cost on the market. Silver has been known for a long time to be highly toxic to bacterial communities, aquatic organisms, and particularly to marine biota. Strong chloro-complexes dominate Ag speciation in seawater and facilitate its persistence in dissolved form. It has a great impact on marine organisms because low concentration of silver can lead to strong bioaccumulation, partly because the neutral silver chloro complex (AgCl) is highly bioavailable. Owing to the fact that estuaries and coastal areas are considered as the ultimate fate for AgNPs, the study of their toxic effects on marine invertebrates can reveal some environmental risks related to nanosilver exposure. In an attempt to reach this goal, many invertebrate taxa including mollusks, crustaceans, echinoderms and polychaetes have been used as biological models. The main findings related to AgNP toxicity and marine invertebrates are summarized hereafter. Some cellular mechanisms involving nano-internalization (cellular uptake, distribution and elimination), DNA damaging, antioxidant cellular defenses and protein expression are discussed. Physiological effects on early stage development, silver metabolic speciation, immune response, tissue damaging, anti-oxidant effects and nano-depuration are also described. Finally, we paid attention to some recent interesting findings using sea urchin developmental stages and their cells as models for nanotoxicity investigation. Cellular and physiological processes characterizing sea urchin development revealed new and multiple toxicity mechanisms of both soluble and nano forms of silver.

Antimicrobial Efficacy of Nanopropolis Coated Vs Silver-Curcumin Nanoparticles Coated Gutta-Percha Points on Various Microbial Species. A Comparative In Vitro Study

“…It was proven that each of the silver nanoparticles and curcumin has an antimicrobial action when used alone (14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23) , Therefore we combined both materials to increase the antimicrobial action of curcumin and decrease the toxicity of silver nanoparticles that was demonstrated in previous studies (35)(36)(37)(38)(39) .…”

Nanosilver toxicity in gills of a neotropical fish: Metal accumulation, oxidative stress, histopathology and other physiological effects

“…A pesar de que la mayoría de los NM han sido utilizados en un contexto moderno de investigación en la última década, hoy en día existe un amplio debate acerca de los riesgos y beneficios de muchos materiales nanofacturados y productos de consumo que se ofrecen en el mercado de manera constante [17]. En este contexto, por su parte, los ambientes acuáticos constituyen siempre los sumideros finales de las NP [18].…”

“…Particularmente, en el agua de mar, la especiación de Ag es sumamente importante dado que domina la formación del complejo cloro, y su biodisponibilidad y consecuente acumulación en estos organismos es elevada [18].…”

“…En general, los efectos tóxicos observados en este estudio pueden relacionarse con el efecto "caballo de Troya" ejercido por las AgNP cuando se internalizan dentro de las células [18]: sobreproducción de ROS y consecuente daño oxidativo en la glándula digestiva, activación de la enzima antioxidante GST y daño en el ADN en el caso de los hemocitos de M. galloprovincialis. Las exposiciones cortas revelan información relevante para comprender los efectos tóxicos provocados por las nanopartículas metálicas, y a la vez ahorran tiempo y permiten obtener un análisis más rápido de este contaminante emergente que aumenta exponencialmente en los ambientes acuáticos.…”

Interactive Impacts of Silver and Phosphorus on Autotrophic Biofilm Elemental and Biochemical Quality for a Macroinvertebrate Consumer

“…Silver nanoparticles are currently among the most widely used nanoparticles (Project on Emerging Nanotechnology, 2012), and several studies predicted future increases in silver concentrations in surface waters due to its increased use (Geranio et al, 2009; Gottschalk et al, 2009). Concerning silver toxicity, silver is well known as a potent biocide, and is certainly among the most toxic to microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, and phytoplankton) and invertebrates (Ratte, 1999; Arce Funck et al, 2013a,b).…”