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Nanoplastics andthe Role of the Corona in the BiologicalResponses of Daphnia magna
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Researchers studied how biomolecule coatings from fetal bovine serum, Daphnia secretions, and algae affected nanoplastic toxicity in Daphnia magna, finding that coatings altered the nanoplastic surface and affected internalization and biological responses differently depending on the biomolecule source.
In the aquatic environment, organisms predominantly interact with nanoplastics coated with environmental biomolecules rather than with bare plastics. This study investigates the biological response of Daphnia magna neonates to bare and biomolecule-coated nanoplastics over 24 and 48 h. The commercially available fetal bovine serum (FBS), biomolecules collected from D. magna secretions (DSB), and algae biomolecules (AB), were used to coat (hard corona) 20 nm fluorescent nanoplastics. The results show that neonate exposure to both bare and coated nanoplastics resulted in the production of biomolecules by the neonates, which interacted with the nanoplastic surface, uniquely altering their properties through binding and exchange of biomolecules, affecting their internalization and toxicity. Neonates exposed to bare nanoplastics exhibited the highest mortality rates, while nanoplastics coated with FBS, DSB, and AB resulted in lower mortality, suggesting that corona composition significantly influences nanoplastic toxicity. Confocal microscopy revealed the highest internalization for the bare, DSB, and AB coated nanoplastics compared to the FBS coated nanoplastics. Swimming behavior was mostly affected by the bare nanoplastics compared to the corona-coated nanoplastics. The antioxidant defense mechanisms, including glutathione S-transferase (GST), catalase (CAT), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were analyzed in D. magnahomogenates exposed to both bare and protein-coated nanoplastics, in order to better understand the overall oxidative stress responses in neonates. Results demonstrated higher enzyme activities at 24 h of exposure to all nanoplastics, particularly for SOD and GST. At 48 h, CAT activity increased for all nanoplastics, indicating sustained oxidative stress and activation of mechanisms to neutralize ROS and mitigate cellular damage. This study underscores the critical role of the coronas in modulating nanoplastic toxicity, advocating for their consideration in toxicological risk assessments.
More Papers Like This
Nanoplastics and the Role of the Corona in the Biological Responses of Daphnia magna
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers exposed Daphnia magna neonates to nanoplastics coated with biomolecules from fetal bovine serum, Daphnia secretions, or algae, finding that coatings altered nanoplastic surface properties and affected internalization and biological responses differently depending on the biomolecule source.
Secreted protein eco-corona mediates uptake and impacts of polystyrene nanoparticles on Daphnia magna
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Researchers discovered that proteins secreted by Daphnia magna create an eco-corona around polystyrene nanoparticles, increasing their uptake and toxicity. The study found that this protein coating also made the nanoparticles harder to remove from the gut, demonstrating a previously unknown biological mechanism that enhances the harmful effects of nanoplastics on this important indicator species.
Ecotoxicological significance of bio-corona formation on micro/nanoplastics in aquatic organisms
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This review examined the ecotoxicological significance of bio-corona formation on micro- and nanoplastics in aquatic organisms, exploring how protein and biomolecule coatings alter the bioavailability, toxicity, and environmental fate of plastic particles.
Toxicokinetics and Toxicodynamics of Nanoplastics in Daphnia magna are Polymer-Type Dependent
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Scientists tested how four common types of plastic nanoparticles (found in everything from PVC pipes to plastic eyewear) affect a tiny water flea used to study environmental toxicity, and found that not all plastics are equally harmful, polystyrene was the most toxic, while polycarbonate was over 25 times less toxic. This matters because most plastic pollution research has focused narrowly on polystyrene, so this study suggests we may need different safety guidelines for different plastic types rather than treating "nanoplastics" as one uniform threat, a distinction that could eventually matter for understanding how these particles affect human health too.
The Composition of the Eco-corona Acquired by Micro- and Nanoscale Plastics Impacts on their Ecotoxicity and Interactions with Co-pollutants
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This review examines how the 'eco-corona' — a layer of environmental biomolecules adsorbing onto plastic particle surfaces — alters the toxicity, transport, and interaction with co-pollutants of micro- and nanoplastics, emphasizing that this biological coating fundamentally changes how plastics behave in living organisms.
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