Cytotoxicity of aluminium oxide nanoparticles towards fresh water algal isolate at low exposure concentrations

• Published in: Aquatic toxicology 2013-05, Vol.132-133, p.34-45
• Main Authors: Pakrashi, Sunandan, Dalai, Swayamprava, T.C., Prathna, Trivedi, Shruti, Myneni, Radhika, Raichur, Ashok M., Chandrasekaran, N., Mukherjee, Amitava
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Al3+ ionic toxicity; Aluminium oxide nanoparticle; aluminum oxide; Aluminum Oxide - toxicity; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Biological and medical sciences; cell walls; chemical interactions; Chlorella; Chlorella - drug effects; cytotoxicity; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; exposure duration; freshwater; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Hydrodynamic size; ions; lakes; LDH; Metal Nanoparticles - toxicity; nanoparticles; Particle Size; ROS; spectroscopy; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; viability; Water Pollutants, Chemical - toxicity
• ISSN: 0166-445X; 1879-1514
• DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2013.01.018

[Display omitted] ► Cytotoxicity of different size alumina NP towards freshwater algae. ► Low test concentrations of NPs. ► Contribution of nano-size and ion dissolution. ► Mode of toxicity depends on exposure period. The growing commercial applications had brought aluminium oxide nanoparticles under toxicologists’ purview. In the present study, the cytotoxicity of two different sized aluminium oxide nanoparticles (ANP1, mean hydrodynamic diameter 82.6±22nm and ANP2, mean hydrodynamic diameter 246.9±39nm) towards freshwater algal isolate Chlorella ellipsoids at low exposure levels (≤1μg/mL) using sterile lake water as the test medium was assessed. The dissolution of alumina nanoparticles and consequent contribution towards toxicity remained largely unexplored owing to its presumed insoluble nature. Herein, the leached Al3+ ion mediated toxicity has been studied along with direct particulate toxicity to bring out the dynamics of toxicity through colloidal stability, biochemical, spectroscopic and microscopic analyses. The mean hydrodynamic diameter increased with time both for ANP1 [82.6±22nm (0h) to 246.3±59nm (24h), to 1204±140nm (72h)] and ANP2 [246.9±39nm (0h) to 368.28±48nm (24h), to 1225.96±186nm (72h)] signifying decreased relative abundance of submicron sized particles (