title: TiO2 nanoparticles in the marine environment: impact on the toxicity of tributyltin to abalone (Haliotis diversicolor supertexta) embryos.
abstract: Little information is available on the potential ecotoxicity of manufactured nanomaterials (MNMs) in the marine environment. To carefully address this issue, the toxicity of nanosized titanium dioxide (nTiO(2)) aggregates in the marine environment was evaluated using abalone (Haliotis diversicolor supertexta) embryonic development as a model. The effect of nTiO(2) aggregates on the toxicity of the highly toxic marine antifouling compound tributyltin (TBT) to abalone embryos was also investigated. No developmental effects of nTiO(2) were observed at 2 mg/L but concentrations ≥10 mg/L caused hatching inhibition and malformations. The presence of 2 mg/L nTiO(2) increased the toxicity of TBT up to 20-fold compared with TBT alone. This enhancement of TBT may be due to the combined effects of TBT adsorption onto nTiO(2) aggregates and the internalization of nTiO(2) aggregates by abalone embryos. These observations indicate that MNMs may have important indirect impacts on aquatic organisms by varying the toxicity of coexisting pollutants. Thus, risk assessments for MNMs should consider both their direct effects and possible indirect effects of interactions with other environmental contaminants.
authors.affiliation: Marine Biology Laboratory of Life Sciences Division, Graduate School at Shenzhen, Tsinghua University , Shenzhen 518055, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoshan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Zhonghua
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Cai
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D049851:Gastropoda / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity*; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry; D014025:Titanium / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D014220:Trialkyltin Compounds / Q000633:toxicity*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D014220:Trialkyltin Compounds; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; C009495:titanium dioxide; C011559:tributyltin; D014025:Titanium