Page 1 - Alga NPS interactions_Neat

Bull Environ Contam Toxicol (2015) 94:554–558
DOI 10.1007/s00128-015-1505-9

Toxic Effect of Silver and Platinum Nanoparticles Toward
the Freshwater Microalga Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata

Małgorzata Ksia˛ _ zyk • Monika Asztemborska •
Romuald Ste˛borowski • Gra_ zyna Bystrzejewska-Piotrowska

Received: 9 June 2014 / Accepted: 25 February 2015 / Published online: 6 March 2015
Ó The Author(s) 2015. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com

Abstract The growing use of nanoparticles in a wide exceed 100 nm. They exhibit unique physicochemical
range of products has resulted in their release into the (e.g., magnetic, optical and electrochemical) properties and
aquatic environment; therefore, an understanding of the can lead to unexpected health or environmental hazards.
toxic effects of nanoparticles on aquatic organisms is of Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) are the largest and fastest
permanent importance. The aim of this study was to growing class of metal-NPs in product applications
evaluate the toxicity of silver and platinum nanoparticles (Ahamed et al. 2010). They exhibit high electrical and
toward the freshwater microalga, Pseudokirchneriella thermal conductivity, scattering, chemical stability, cat-
subcapitata. Algal growth and photosynthetic pigments alytic activity and non-linear optical behavior; however, it
were determined to quantitate the effects of varying con- is the exceptional broad-spectrum bactericidal activity of
centrations of Ag and Pt nanoparticles. The silver silver and the relatively low cost of manufacturing Ag NP
nanoparticles were much more toxic than the platinum (Capek 2004) that has made them extremely popular in a
ones. The concentrations causing total inhibition of algal broad range of consumer materials, including plastics,
-1
growth were 5.0 and 22.2 mg L , respectively. Similar soaps, pastes, metals and textiles (Frattini et al. 2005).
results were obtained by analyzing the concentration of Nanoparticles of platinum (Pt NPs) have attracted attention
photosynthetic pigments in P. subcapitata exposed to for industrial applications owing to their remarkable cat-
nanoparticles. Thus, simple spectrophotometric determi- alytic properties. The effectiveness of catalytic processes
nation of chlorophyll is a convenient tool for the analysis of on nanoparticles is much higher in comparison with micro-
nanoparticle toxicity to algae. sized particles, because of the expanded reactive surface.
Platinum nanoparticles are used in automotive exhaust
Keywords Silver nanoparticles Platinum nanoparticles converters and biomedical applications (Bhattacharya and
Microalga Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata Toxicity test Murkherjee 2008), or as electrochemical sensors and
biosensors (Luo et al. 2006).
Nanotechnology is one of the most rapidly expanding fields Paralleling the use of NPs in a wide range of goods, they
of technology and, consequently, new nanoproducts are are released to the environment, including aquatic systems;
entering more and more areas of everyday life (Bystrze- however, data on their fate and behavior are scare and the
jewska-Piotrowska et al. 2009). An byproduct of this is an effects of nanoparticles on aquatic organisms remain to be
increasing risk of environmental exposure to nanotech- evaluated.
nology-based materials. Nanoparticles are defined as par- Investigations into the toxicity of Ag NPs have already
ticles in which at least one of the dimensions does not been undertaken. The action of Ag NPs on diverse aquatic
vertebrates, invertebrates, algae and bacteria has been
summarized by Fabrega et al. (2011). It has been concluded
M. Ksia˛_ zyk M. Asztemborska (&) R. Ste˛borowski that concentrations of Ag NPs as low as just a few ng/L can
G. Bystrzejewska-Piotrowska affect prokaryotes, invertebrates and fish. The toxicity of Pt
Isotope Laboratory, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw,
Miecznikowa 1, 02-096 Warsaw, Poland NPs has been investigated for human cells (Elder et al.
e-mail: asztemborska@biol.uw.edu.pl 2007), but only a few studies considering the effects of

123