title: Phytotoxicity, Translocation, and Biotransformation of NaYF₄ Upconversion Nanoparticles in a Soybean Plant.
abstract: The increasing uses of rare-earth-doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) have obviously caused many concerns about their potential toxicology on live organisms. In addition, the UCNPs can be released into the environment, then transported into edible crop plants, and finally entered into food chain. Here, the soybean is chosen as a model plant to study the subchronic phytotoxicity, translocation, and biotransformation of NaYF4 UCNPs. The incubation with UCNPs at a relative low concentration of 10 μg mL(-1) leads to growth promotion for the roots and stems, while concentration exceeding 50 μg mL(-1) brings concentration-dependent inhibition. Upconversion luminescence imaging and scanning electron microscope characterization show that the UCNPs can be absorbed by roots and parts of the adsorbed UCNPs are then transported through vessels to stems and leaves. The near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectra reveal that the adsorbed NaYF4 nanoparticles are relatively stable during a 10 d incubation. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectrum further indicates that a small amount of NaYF4 is dissolved/digested and can transform into Y-phosphate clusters in roots.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Wenyan
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, P. R. China.|College of Materials Science and Opto-Electronic Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, P. R.China.
authors.forename: Liangjun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Yuhui
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Gan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Jiating
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, P. R. China.|College of Materials Science and Opto-Electronic Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, P. R.China.
authors.forename: Xiaopeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Zhanjun
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, P. R. China.|Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology of China, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Yuliang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D001711:Biotransformation; D018556:Crops, Agricultural; D004871:Erbium / Q000737:chemistry; D005459:Fluorides / Q000737:chemistry; D049449:Luminescence; D008674:Metals, Rare Earth / Q000737:chemistry; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000378:metabolism; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000378:metabolism; D018547:Plant Stems / Q000378:metabolism; D011094:Polyethyleneimine / Q000737:chemistry; D013025:Glycine max / Q000378:metabolism*; D013997:Time Factors; D014965:X-Rays; D015018:Ytterbium / Q000737:chemistry; D015019:Yttrium / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D008674:Metals, Rare Earth; D015019:Yttrium; D004871:Erbium; D011094:Polyethyleneimine; D015018:Ytterbium; D005459:Fluorides
keywords: biotransformation; phytotoxicity; plants; translocation; upconversion; upconverting nanoparticles