Current Knowledge of Nanomaterial Ecotoxicology

A special issue of Toxics (ISSN 2305-6304). This special issue belongs to the section "Ecotoxicology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2022) | Viewed by 15476

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Institute of Translational Pharmacology (IFT), National Research Council (CNR), Via Ugo La Malfa 153, 90146 Palermo, Italy
Interests: nanotoxicology; immunology; innate immunity; cell biology; molecular biology; proxy to human model; environmental risk
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Guest Editor
Institute for the Study of Anthropic Impacts and Sustainability in the Marine Environment, National Research Council, Genova 16149, Italy
Interests: ecotoxicology; marine pollution; environmental sciences; nano-ecotoxicology; developmental biology; marine biology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We would like to introduce a Special Issue on the toxicology, ecotoxicology, and environmental chemistry of nanomaterials to summarize the current knowledge on the risks and benefits of nanoscale materials, including nanoparticles and nanoplastics. Nanomaterials are emerging contaminants that are continuously released into the environment as a result of their extensive use in industry, medical care, and consumer goods, to name a few. The economic and social impact of nanomaterials is extraordinary if we consider that the nano-economy was worth a trillion dollars at the end of 2015. Significant progress on the measurement and management of the associated hazards and risks of nanomaterials is evident; however, there are many challenges ahead and controversies that need to be focalized in an ecological context. Knowledge transfer from toxicology, chemistry, and environmental sciences to ecotoxicology becomes a valuable tool for nano-related human and environmental risk assessment and management. For this Special Issue, we would like to collect the current knowledge of nanomaterials from an ecotoxicological perspective, which is understood to be a multi-disciplinary field that brings together and integrates the other disciplines cited above.

In this Special Issue, original research articles, reviews, comments, and perspectives are all welcome.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Annalisa Pinsino
Dr. Chiara Gambardella
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • nano-ecotoxicology
  • nanotoxicology and nanosafety
  • nano risk assessment and risk management
  • nano environmental health and safety
  • safe-by-design nanomaterials
  • nanoparticle environmental chemistry
  • nanomaterial economic and social impact
  • nano engineering, remediation, and restoration

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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8 pages, 649 KiB  
Article
Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Induce DNA Damage in Sand Dollar Scaphechinus mirabilis Sperm
by Sergey Petrovich Kukla, Victor Pavlovich Chelomin, Andrey Alexandrovich Mazur and Valentina Vladimirovna Slobodskova
Toxics 2022, 10(7), 348; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics10070348 - 24 Jun 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1871
Abstract
Products containing nanomaterials are becoming more and more common in everyday life. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs), meanwhile, are among the most widely used NPs. However, their genotoxic effect on the germ products of marine organisms is poorly understood. Therefore, the effects of [...] Read more.
Products containing nanomaterials are becoming more and more common in everyday life. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs), meanwhile, are among the most widely used NPs. However, their genotoxic effect on the germ products of marine organisms is poorly understood. Therefore, the effects of ZnO NPs and zinc ions (20, 50, 100, 200 µg/L) on the sperm of sand dollar Scaphechinus mirabilis were compared. Comet assay showed that both tested pollutants caused an increase in DNA damage to 6.57 ± 2.41 and 7.42 ± 0.88% DNA in the comet tail, for zinc ions and ZnO NPs, respectively. Additionally, a different pattern was shown by the increase in DNA damage, with increasing concentration of pollutants, in different experimental groups. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Knowledge of Nanomaterial Ecotoxicology)
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13 pages, 11069 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of Zebrafish DNA Integrity after Individual and Combined Exposure to TiO2 Nanoparticles and Lincomycin
by Filomena Mottola, Concetta Iovine, Marianna Santonastaso, Vincenzo Carfora, Severina Pacifico and Lucia Rocco
Toxics 2022, 10(3), 132; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics10030132 - 8 Mar 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2559
Abstract
Environmental contamination by nanoparticles (NPs) and drugs represents one of the most debated issues of the last years. The aquatic biome and, indirectly, human health are strongly influenced by the negative effects induced by the widespread presence of pharmaceutical products in wastewater, mainly [...] Read more.
Environmental contamination by nanoparticles (NPs) and drugs represents one of the most debated issues of the last years. The aquatic biome and, indirectly, human health are strongly influenced by the negative effects induced by the widespread presence of pharmaceutical products in wastewater, mainly due to the massive use of antibiotics and inefficient treatment of the waters. The present study aimed to evaluate the harmful consequences due to exposure to antibiotics and NPs, alone and in combination, in the aquatic environment. By exploiting some of their peculiar characteristics, such as small size and ability to bind different types of substances, NPs can carry drugs into the body, showing potential genotoxic effects. The research was conducted on zebrafish (Danio rerio) exposed in vivo to lincomycin (100 mg/L) and titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) (10 µg/L) for 7 and 14 exposure days. The effects on zebrafish were evaluated in terms of cell viability, DNA fragmentation, and genomic template stability (GTS%) investigated using Trypan blue staining, TUNEL assay, and the random amplification of polymorphic DNA PCR (RAPD PCR) technique, respectively. Our results show that after TiO2 NPs exposure, as well as after TiO2 NPs and lincomycin co-exposure, the percentage of damaged DNA significantly increased and cell viability decreased. On the contrary, exposure to lincomycin alone caused only a GTS% reduction after 14 exposure days. Therefore, the results allow us to assert that genotoxic effect in target cells could be through a synergistic effect, also potentially mediated by the establishment of intermolecular interactions between lincomycin and TiO2 NPs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Knowledge of Nanomaterial Ecotoxicology)
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Review

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16 pages, 3416 KiB  
Review
Nanomaterial Ecotoxicology in the Terrestrial and Aquatic Environment: A Systematic Review
by Chiara Gambardella and Annalisa Pinsino
Toxics 2022, 10(7), 393; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics10070393 - 14 Jul 2022
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3045
Abstract
This systematic review analyzes the studies available on the ecotoxicity of nanomaterials (NMs) in the environment to understand where future research should be addressed for achieving Agenda 2030 goals on sustainable development and environmental safety. We discuss the status of NMs ecotoxicological effects [...] Read more.
This systematic review analyzes the studies available on the ecotoxicity of nanomaterials (NMs) in the environment to understand where future research should be addressed for achieving Agenda 2030 goals on sustainable development and environmental safety. We discuss the status of NMs ecotoxicological effects across different organisms that are representative of all natural environments (land, air, water). A total of 1562 publications were retrieved from the Web of Science (all databases) by using the search criteria “nanomaterials” and “ecotoxicology”; among them, 303 studies were included in the systematic review because they met any of the following criteria: (i) focalize on both search criteria; (ii) deal with terrestrial, or aquatic environment; (iii) address models (organisms, cells) for the nano environmental risk assessment and exposure. The knowledge gaps are identified together with novel insights that need to be further investigated to better understand the ecotoxicological environmental impacts of NMs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Knowledge of Nanomaterial Ecotoxicology)
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21 pages, 1491 KiB  
Review
Nanoparticles: Excellent Materials Yet Dangerous When They Become Airborne
by Xiao-Hui Yin, Yan-Ming Xu and Andy T. Y. Lau
Toxics 2022, 10(2), 50; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics10020050 - 22 Jan 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3873
Abstract
Since the rise and rapid development of nanoscale science and technology in the late 1980s, nanomaterials have been widely used in many areas including medicine, electronic products, crafts, textiles, and cosmetics, which have provided a lot of convenience to people’s life. However, while [...] Read more.
Since the rise and rapid development of nanoscale science and technology in the late 1980s, nanomaterials have been widely used in many areas including medicine, electronic products, crafts, textiles, and cosmetics, which have provided a lot of convenience to people’s life. However, while nanomaterials have been fully utilized, their negative effects, also known as nano pollution, have become increasingly apparent. The adverse effects of nanomaterials on the environment and organisms are mainly based on the unique size and physicochemical properties of nanoparticles (NPs). NPs, as the basic unit of nanomaterials, generally refer to the ultrafine particles whose spatial scale are defined in the range of 1–100 nm. In this review, we mainly introduce the basic status of the types and applications of NPs, airborne NP pollution, and the relationship between airborne NP pollution and human diseases. There are many sources of airborne NP pollutants, including engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) and non-engineered nanoparticles (NENPs). The NENPs can be further divided into those generated from natural activities and those produced by human activities. A growing number of studies have found that exposure to airborne NP pollutants can cause a variety of illnesses, such as respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and neurological disorders. To deal with the ever increasing numbers and types of NPs being unleashed to the air, we believe that extensive research is needed to provide a comprehensive understanding of NP pollution hazards and their impact mechanisms. Only in this way can we find the best solution and truly protect the safety and quality of life of human beings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Knowledge of Nanomaterial Ecotoxicology)
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17 pages, 1253 KiB  
Review
Effects of Co-Exposure of Nanoparticles and Metals on Different Organisms: A Review
by Yasmina M. Abd-Elhakim, Mohamed M. Hashem, Khaled Abo-EL-Sooud, Bayan A. Hassan, Khlood M. Elbohi and Adham A. Al-Sagheer
Toxics 2021, 9(11), 284; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics9110284 - 1 Nov 2021
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 2944
Abstract
Wide nanotechnology applications and the commercialization of consumer products containing engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) have increased the release of nanoparticles (NPs) to the environment. Titanium dioxide, aluminum oxide, zinc oxide, and silica NPs are widely implicated NPs in industrial, medicinal, and food products. Different [...] Read more.
Wide nanotechnology applications and the commercialization of consumer products containing engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) have increased the release of nanoparticles (NPs) to the environment. Titanium dioxide, aluminum oxide, zinc oxide, and silica NPs are widely implicated NPs in industrial, medicinal, and food products. Different types of pollutants usually co-exist in the environment. Heavy metals (HMs) are widely distributed pollutants that could potentially co-occur with NPs in the environment. Similar to what occurs with NPs, HMs accumulation in the environment results from anthropogenic activities, in addition to some natural sources. These pollutants remain in the environment for long periods and have an impact on several organisms through different routes of exposure in soil, water, and air. The impact on complex systems results from the interactions between NPs and HMs and the organisms. This review describes the outcomes of simultaneous exposure to the most commonly found ENMs and HMs, particularly on soil and aquatic organisms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Knowledge of Nanomaterial Ecotoxicology)
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