engleski

Does co-exposure to nanoparticles and insecticides in urban environments lead to enhanced toxicity

In parallel with the rapid growth of the field of nanotechnology, there is an ever increasing number of consumer products that contain nanoparticles. In towns and cities where there is a large population density, the nanoparticle load in waste water streams is expected to be significant. Further, pyrethroid insecticides, which are widely used today in a diverse range of applications from garden nurseries, urban structural and landscaping sites, residential garden pest control and mosquito abatement, also have the potential to enter wastewater streams. The potential interaction between co-present nanoparticles and insecticides may modulate the toxicity of the latter. This work focuses on investigating the effect of silver nanoparticles (AgNP) in combination with two commonly used pyrethroid insecticides, cypermetrin and deltametrin, in bivalve Mytilus galloprovincialis as a model. Standard toxicity tests used in this study include determination of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity in mussel gill and metallothionein (MT) concentration in the digestive gland. AgNP in combination with cypermethrin showed increased GST, though not AChE activity and higher MT concentrations. Further, AgNP in combination with deltamethrin caused a significant increase in GST activity. Complex behaviour based on the interplay between AgNP and insecticides indicate that co-exposure scenarios must be considered due to relevance in human and environmental toxicity.

silver nanoparticles ; acetylcholinesterase ; glutathione S-transferase ; metallothioneins ; Mytilus galloprovincialis

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