Uptake and Transfer of ¹³C-Fullerenols from Scenedesmus obliquus to Daphnia magna in an Aquatic Environment

Abstract

Fullerenol, a water-soluble polyhydroxylated fullerene nanomaterial, enters aquatic organisms and ecosystems through different ingestion exposures and may pose environmental risks. The study of their uptake routes and transfer in aquatic systems is scarce. Herein, we quantitatively investigated the aquatic uptake and transfer of 13 C-fullerenols from Scenedesmus obliquus to Daphnia magna using 13 C-skeletonlabeling techniques. The bioaccumulation and depuration of fullerenol in Daphnia magna increased with exposure doses and time, reaching steady state within 16 h in aqueous and feeding-affected aqueous routes. The capacity of Daphnia magna to ingest fullerenol via the aqueous route was much higher than that via the dietary route. From the aqueous to feeding-affected aqueous, the kinetic analysis demonstrated the bioaccumulation factors decreases, which revealed that algae suppressed Daphnia magna uptake of fullerenols. The aqueous route was the primary fullerenols ingestion pathway for Daphnia magna. Kinetic analysis of the accumulation and transfer in Daphnia magna via the dietary route indicated low transfer efficiency of fullerenol along the Scenedesmus obliquus-Daphnia magna food chain. Using stable isotope labeling techniques, these quantitative data revealed that carbon nanomaterials underwent complex aquatic accumulation and transfer from primary producers to secondary consumers and algae inhibited their transfer in food chains.

Effects of Nanoparticles on Algae: Adsorption, Distribution, Ecotoxicity and Fate

“…As a basis for aquatic food chains, algae are the source of food for various aquatic organisms and algae can promote the ingestion of NPs by organisms during feeding, thereby incorporating NPs into food chains (Figure 2) [23,30,92]. The transmission or enrichment of NPs through the aquatic food chain may lead to toxic effects on high trophic level organisms in the food chain.…”

“…The behavior of gold nanoparticles was studied in a model food chain consisting of a phytoplankton as food (Ankistrodesmus falcatus) and a zooplankton grazer (Daphnia magna), and a significant accumulation of Au NPs in the gut of Daphnia was observed [18]. Using stable isotope labeling techniques, it was revealed that carbon nanomaterials underwent complex aquatic accumulation and transfer from primary producers to secondary consumers (Scenedesmus obliquus-Daphnia magna food chain) [92]. Studies have shown that these NPs could accumulate in the digestive tract of Daphnia magna and exhibit chronic toxicity upon the growth and reproduction of Daphnia magna [32,95,96]; even the neonate production from adult daphnids was significantly reduced [97].…”

Engineered nanomaterials: From their properties and applications, to their toxicity towards marine bivalves in a changing environment

“…Finally, it is important to stress that hydroxylated fullerene (fullerenol or fullerol) is a water-soluble carbon nanomaterial that authors like Wang et al (2018) have shown that it is uptaken by green alga Scenedesmus obliquus and transferred to cladoceran Daphnia magna although with low efficiency.…”

Toxic effects of graphene and related materials on bacteria

“…There have been many studies reported the negative effects of GRMs on different types of living organisms and a great possibility of bioaccumulation [9,10] . Studies using the body burden factor (BBF) to evaluate the accumulation of 14C-labeled graphene in E. coli, T. thermophila, D. magna, and D. rerio have showed that organisms exposed to graphene-containing culture medium have high potential of graphene accumulating [11] .…”