Crystalline phase-dependent toxicity of aluminum oxide nanoparticles toward Daphnia magna and ecological risk assessment
Abstract
Aluminum oxide nanoparticles (Al 2 O 3 NPs) can be found in different crystalline phases, and with the emergence of nanotechnology there has been a rapid increase in the demand for Al 2 O 3 NPs in different engineering areas and for consumer products. However, a careful evaluation of the potential environmental and human health risks is required to assess the implications of the release of Al 2 O 3 NPs into the environment. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate the toxicity of two crystalline phases of Al 2 O 3 NPs, alpha (α-Al 2 O 3 NPs) and eta (η-Al 2 O 3 NPs), toward Daphnia magna and evaluate the risk to the aquatic ecology of Al 2 O 3 NPs with different crystalline phases, based on a probabilistic approach. Different techniques were used for the characterization of the Al 2 O 3 NPs. The toxicity toward Daphnia magna was assessed based on multiple toxicological endpoints, and the probabilistic species sensitivity distribution (PSSD) was used to estimate the risk of Al 2 O 3 NPs to the aquatic ecology. The results obtained verify the toxic potential of the NPs toward D. magna even in sublethal concentrations, with a more pronounced effect being observed for η-Al 2 O 3 NPs. The toxicity is associated with an increase in the reactive oxygen species (ROS) content and deregulation of antioxidant enzymatic/non-enzymatic enzymes (CAT, SOD and GSH). In addition, changes in MDA levels were observed, indicating that D. magna was under oxidative stress. The most prominent chronic toxic effects were observed in the organisms exposed to η-Al 2 O 3 NPs, since the lowest LOEC was 3.12 mg/L for all parameters, while for α-Al 2 O 3 NPs the lowest LOEC was 6.25 mg/L for longevity, growth and reproduction. However, the risk assessment results indicate that, based on a probabilistic approach, Al 2 O 3 NPs (alpha, gamma, delta, eta and theta) only a very limited risk to organisms in surface waters.
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- Authors
- Nogueira, D. J., Vaz, V. P., Neto, O. S., Silva, M. L. N. D., Simioni, C., Ouriques, L. C., Vicentini, D. S., & Matias, W. G.
- Affiliations
- Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (BR)
- Corresponding author
- Matias, William Gerson
- ORCID
- Venue
- Environmental Research
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2020-03
- Volume
- 182
- Pages
- 108987
- ISSN
- 0013-9351 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2992447524
- Cited by
- 53
- References
- 76
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 16 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 4
- FWCI
- 2.05
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Environmental Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior
- Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (140422/2016-1)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Environmental Toxicology and Ecotoxicology
- Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Materials Chemistry › Nanoparticles: synthesis and applications
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Microplastics and Plastic Pollution
- Keywords
- Al2O3 nanoparticles, crystalline phase, alpha-alumina, eta-alumina, Daphnia magna, nanoparticle toxicity, environmental risk assessment, oxidative stress, reactive oxygen species, antioxidant enzymes, lipid peroxidation, chronic toxicity, aquatic ecotoxicology
- MeSH terms
- Aluminum Oxide, Animals, Daphnia, Humans, Water Pollutants, Chemical, Oxidative Stress, Risk Assessment, Metal Nanoparticles
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