Insights into the Ecotoxicity of Silver Nanoparticles Transferred from Escherichia coli to Caenorhabditis elegans.
Previous studies have indicated that engineered nanomaterials can be transferred through the food chain. However, their potential ecotoxicity to the environment is not fully understood. Here, we systematically evaluated the physiological behavior and toxicity of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-coated silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using a food chain model from Escherichia coli (E. coli) to Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). Our results demonstrated that AgNPs accumulated in E. coli could be transferred to the C. elegans, and AgNPs were clearly distributed in the gut lumen, subcutaneous tissue and gonad. After being transferred to C. elegans through the food chain, the accumulated AgNPs caused serious toxicity to the higher trophic level (C. elegans), including effects on germ cell death, reproductive integrity and life span. Relative to larger particles (75 nm), small AgNPs (25 nm) more easily accumulated in the food chain and exhibited a stronger toxicity to the higher trophic level. More importantly, both the AgNPs that had accumulated in C. elegans through the food chain and the resulting impairment of germ cells could be transferred to the next generation, indicating that AgNP can cause genetic damage across generations. Our findings highlight that nanomaterials pose potential ecotoxicity to ecosystems via transport through the food chain.
Key Laboratory of Ion Beam Bioengineering, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui 230031, China.|School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, Anhui, China.|School of Bioengineering, Huainan Normal University, Huainan 232038, China.
Xun
X
Luo
Key Laboratory of Ion Beam Bioengineering, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui 230031, China.|Key Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology and Pollution Control Technology of Anhui Province, Hefei, Anhui 230031, China.
Shengmin
S
Xu
Key Laboratory of Ion Beam Bioengineering, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui 230031, China.|School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, Anhui, China.
Yaning
Y
Yang
Key Laboratory of Ion Beam Bioengineering, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui 230031, China.|Key Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology and Pollution Control Technology of Anhui Province, Hefei, Anhui 230031, China.
Luzhi
L
Li
Key Laboratory of Ion Beam Bioengineering, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui 230031, China.|Key Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology and Pollution Control Technology of Anhui Province, Hefei, Anhui 230031, China.
Shaopeng
S
Chen
Key Laboratory of Ion Beam Bioengineering, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui 230031, China.|Key Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology and Pollution Control Technology of Anhui Province, Hefei, Anhui 230031, China.
An
A
Xu
Key Laboratory of Ion Beam Bioengineering, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui 230031, China.|School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, Anhui, China.|Key Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology and Pollution Control Technology of Anhui Province, Hefei, Anhui 230031, China.
Lijun
L
Wu
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D017753:Ecosystem; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D020387:Food Chain; D005854:Germ Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D006066:Gonads / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008136:Longevity / Q000187:drug effects; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity*; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D010316:Particle Size; D012098:Reproduction / Q000187:drug effects; D012834:Silver / Q000737:chemistry*
D012834:Silver