Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search

Nanotoxicity of polyelectrolyte-functionalized titania nanoparticles towards microalgae and yeast: Role of the particle concentration, size and surface charge

Al-Awady, Mohammed J.; Greenway, Gillian M.; Paunov, Vesselin N.

Authors

Mohammed J. Al-Awady

Gillian M. Greenway

Vesselin N. Paunov



Abstract

We studied the nanotoxicity of titania nanoparticles (TiO₂NPs) of various hydrodynamic diameters and crystallite sizes towards C. reinhardtii microalgae and S. cerevisiae (yeast) upon illumination with UV and visible light. The cell viability was assessed for a range of nanoparticle concentrations and incubation times. We found that bare TiO₂NPs affect the C. reinhardtii cell viability at much lower particle concentrations than for yeast. We observed an increase of the TiO₂NPs toxicity upon illumination with UV light compared with that in dark conditions due to the oxidative stress of the produced reactive oxygen species. We also found an increased TiO₂NPs nanotoxicity upon illumination with visible light which indicates that they may also interfere with the microalgae's photosynthetic system leading to decreased chlorophyll content upon exposure to TiO₂NPs. The results indicate that the larger the hydrodynamic diameter of the TiO₂NPs the lower is their nanotoxicity, with anatase TiO₂NPs generally being more toxic than rutile TiO₂NPs. We also prepared a range of polyelectrolyte-coated TiO₂NPs using a layer by-layer method and studied their nanotoxicity towards yeast and microalgae. We found that the toxicity of the coated TiO₂NPs changes with their surface charge. TiO₂NPs coated with cationic polyelectrolyte as an outer layer exhibit much higher nanotoxicity than the ones with an outer layer of anionic polyelectrolyte. TEM images of sectioned microalgae and yeast cells exposed to different polyelectrolyte-coated TiO₂NPs confirmed the formation of a significant build-up of nanoparticles on the cell surface for bare and cationic polyelectrolyte-coated TiO₂NPs. The effect comes from the increased adhesion of cationic nanoparticles to the cell walls. Significantly, coating the TiO₂NPs with anionic polyelectrolyte as an outer layer led to a reduced adhesion and much lower nanotoxicity due to electrostatic repulsion with the cell walls. This suggest a new way of making cationic TiO₂NPs safer for use in different formulations by pre-coating them with anionic polyelectrolytes. The results of this study give important insights into the various factors controlling the nanotoxicity of TiO₂NPs.

Citation

Al-Awady, M. J., Greenway, G. M., & Paunov, V. N. (2015). Nanotoxicity of polyelectrolyte-functionalized titania nanoparticles towards microalgae and yeast: Role of the particle concentration, size and surface charge. RSC advances, 5(46), 37044-37059. https://doi.org/10.1039/c5ra05577f

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Apr 9, 2015
Online Publication Date Apr 23, 2015
Publication Date Apr 23, 2015
Deposit Date Jul 28, 2015
Publicly Available Date Jul 28, 2015
Journal RSC advances
Print ISSN 2046-2069
Electronic ISSN 2046-2069
Publisher Royal Society of Chemistry
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 5
Issue 46
Pages 37044-37059
DOI https://doi.org/10.1039/c5ra05577f
Keywords Nanotoxicity; Titania nanoparticles; Microalgae; Yeast
Public URL https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/377001
Publisher URL http://pubs.rsc.org/en/Content/ArticleLanding/2015/RA/c5ra05577f#!divAbstract
Additional Information Copy of article first published in: RSC advances, 2015, issue 5
Contract Date Jul 28, 2015

Files

Article.pdf (2.5 Mb)
PDF

Copyright Statement
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence






You might also like



Downloadable Citations