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Toxicity of Engineered Nanomaterials to Microalgae: Mechanisms, Modulating Factors, Combined Effects, and Methodological Advances
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This review pulls together existing research on how tiny engineered particles—including nanoplastics and metal-based nanomaterials found in products like sunscreens and electronics—can harm microalgae, the microscopic plants that form the base of the aquatic food chain and help produce oxygen. These particles can damage algae cells, block their ability to photosynthesize, and disrupt their metabolism, which matters because if algae populations suffer, it could ripple up through fish and other wildlife that depend on them—and eventually affect the food humans eat and the quality of water ecosystems we rely on. The paper doesn't report new experiments but instead
Engineered nanomaterials are widely used in environmental remediation, agriculture, and industrial applications owing to their large specific surface area, high reactivity, and tunable physicochemical properties. However, their release into aquatic environments has raised increasing concerns regarding potential risks to primary producers. Microalgae are highly sensitive to environmental stressors and play essential roles in photosynthesis, nutrient cycling, carbon fixation, and aquatic food-web stability, making them important model organisms for assessing the toxicity of engineered nanomaterials. This review summarizes the toxic effects and mechanisms of representative engineered nanomaterials, including metal and metal oxide nanoparticles, nanoplastics, and carbon-based nanomaterials, on microalgae. Major toxic pathways include nanoparticle attachment and aggregation on algal surfaces, shading effects, membrane damage, altered permeability, cellular internalization, toxic ion release, reactive oxygen species overproduction, photosynthetic inhibition, and metabolic disturbance. The review further discusses how particle size, morphology, surface coating, dissolution, aging, light, pH, and natural organic matter regulate nanomaterial bioavailability and toxicity. Combined toxicity caused by coexisting nanoparticles or emerging pollutants is also considered, with emphasis on synergistic, antagonistic, and concentration-dependent effects. Finally, recent methodological advances, such as near-native imaging, Raman-based spectroscopy, particle-specific elemental analysis, and multi-omics approaches, are highlighted. This review provides an integrated perspective for understanding nanomaterial toxicity to microalgae and supports future ecological risk assessment in aquatic environments.
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