Morphostructural and immunohistochemical study for evaluation of nano‐TiO₂toxicity inArmadillo officinalisDuméril, 1816 (Crustacea, Isopoda, Oniscidea)

Abstract

Invertebrates are precious organisms in order to study environmental pollution. In particular, they appear to be suitable as a bioindicator species for pioneer ecotoxicity studies on new xenobiotics such as nanoparticles. In fact, they are able to absorb nanomaterials scattered in the environment in different ways and it's known the compartmentalization of nano‐sized contaminants in selected tissues and intracellular organelles. Titanium dioxide represents the most used nanoparticulate, destined to become probably ubiquitous in the environment. Recently, some research has been published on the toxic potential of nano‐TiO2 in several animal species. Among all invertebrates, Oniscidean Isopods are the only taxon of Crustaceans that has become completely terrestrial, known as excellent bioindicators and bioaccumulators. They have a digestive gland, the hepatopancreas, which is the location of election for the accumulation of pollutants. For this reason, they are considered efficient animal models to ecological studies. For this study, we collected Armadillo officinalis from Natural Oriented Reserve of “Vendicari” (Sicily, Italy), to evaluate the toxicity of titanium dioxide (TiO2) on their hepatopancreas, after a short period of exposure. We conducted morphostructural and immunohistochemistry assays. The results suggested a great capacity of the species of bioaccumulation of nanoparticles in the hepatopancreas, where a strong positivity to the metallothioneins was highlighted. Our study confirms that Oniscidean Isopods, in particular Armadillo officinalis, proved to be an appropriate indicator of pollution in terrestrial ecosystems from nanoparticles.

The Luminescence of 1,8-Diazafluoren-9-One/Titanium Dioxide Composite Thin Films for Optical Application

“…Molecular aggregates also play a crucial role as energy transmitters from sunlight in many biological systems [9][10][11][12] and their unusual optical properties are frequently studied and used in various fields of nanoscience and nanotechnology such as efficient energy collecting, spectral broadening of the optical response of fluorescent systems and biosensing on plasmonic platforms [13][14][15]. Although, TiO 2 nano-objects have demonstrated toxicity and ecotoxicity [16][17][18][19], its use in the biomedical devices is widespread and in many cases does not seem to lead to serious side effects. The affinity of DFO with TiO 2 and the versatility of the sol-gel technique allow designing and developing an organic-inorganic framework exhibiting the desired optical/chemical properties.…”

Assessment of TiO2 Nanoparticles on Maize Seedlings and Terrestrial Isopods Under Greenhouse Conditions

“…Interestingly, most studies have been done with earthworms (74.1%), isopods (16.28%), and collembola (9.30%), and the majority carried out under laboratory conditions, but the main reason for the use of these organisms is because they are the classes of invertebrates with the highest representation in biomass and the with ability to decompose and transform OM (Kautz and Topp 2000). They appear to be suitable as bioindicator organisms for ecotoxicity studies on new xenobiotics such as nanoparticles (Flaccavento et al 2019;Servin et al 2018). For this experiment, even when demonstrated adverse effects under greenhouse conditions, these data let us suggest that in agricultural or forestry area, TiO 2 NPs may impact organisms' populations.…”

TiO2/SiO2‐NHOC‐FA Nanocomposite as a Photosensitizer with Targeting Ability for Photocatalytic Killing MCF‐7 Cells in Vitro and its Mechanism Exploration

“…Maria et al collected Armadillo officinalis to evaluate the toxicity of TiO 2 on their hepatopancreas. The results suggested the nanoparticles accumulated in the hepatopancreas and showed toxicity (10). Paulraj et al proposed that nano-TiO 2 might hinder the performance of learning and memory because it played a direct role in the induction of oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis in brain tissue (11).…”