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Growth inhibition of bloom forming cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa by green route fabricated copper oxide nanoparticles

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Abstract

The cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa can potentially proliferate in a wide range of freshwater bionetworks and create extensive secondary metabolites which are harmful to human and animal health. The M. aeruginosa release toxic microcystins that can create a wide range of health-related issues to aquatic animals and humans. It is essential to eliminate them from the ecosystem with convenient method. It has been reported that engineered metal nanoparticles are potentially toxic to pathogenic organisms. In the present study, we examined the growth inhibition effect of green synthesized copper oxide nanoparticles against M. aeruginosa. The green synthesized copper oxide nanoparticles exhibit an excitation of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) at 270 nm confirmed using UV–visible spectrophotometer. The dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis revealed that synthesized nanoparticles are colloidal in nature and having a particle size of 551 nm with high stability at −26.6 mV. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis shows that copper oxide nanoparticles are spherical, rod and irregular in shape, and consistently distributed throughout the solution. The elemental copper and oxide peak were confirmed using energy dispersive x-ray analysis (EDAX). Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy indicates the presence of functional groups which is mandatory for the reduction of copper ions. Besides, green synthesized copper oxide nanoparticles shows growth inhibition against M. aeruginosa. The inhibition efficiency was 31.8 % at lower concentration and 89.7 % at higher concentration of copper oxide nanoparticles, respectively. The chlorophyll (a and b) and carotenoid content of M. aeruginosa declined in dose-dependent manner with respect to induction of copper oxide nanoparticles. Furthermore, we analyzed the mechanism behind the cytotoxicity of M. aeruginosa induced by copper oxide nanoparticles through evaluating membrane integrity, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm) level. The results expose that there is a loss in membrane integrity with ROS formation that leads to alteration in the Δψm, which ends up with severe mitochondrial injury in copper oxide nanoparticles treated cells. Hence, green way synthesized copper oxide nanoparticles may be a useful selective biological agent for the control of M. aeruginosa.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the Department of Science and Technology (DST) for providing financial assistance to Mr. Renu Sankar through INSPIRE Fellowship scheme. We extend our acknowledgement to the University Grant Commission (UGC), Science & Engineering Research Board (SERB) for their financial support. We also thank the Department of Science and Technology—Fund for Improvement of S & T Infrastructure in Universities and Higher Educational Institutions (DST-FIST) for their infrastructure support to our department.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, 620 024, Tamil Nadu, India

    Renu Sankar & Vilwanathan Ravikumar

  2. Department of Marine Science, School of Marine Sciences, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, 620 024, Tamil Nadu, India

    Barathan Balaji Prasath, Ravichandran Nandakumar & Perumal Santhanam

  3. No-75, Second Street, Ashok Nagar, Kanchipuram, 631 502, Tamil Nadu, India

    Kanchi Subramanian Shivashangari

Authors
  1. Renu Sankar
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  2. Barathan Balaji Prasath
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  3. Ravichandran Nandakumar
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  4. Perumal Santhanam
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  5. Kanchi Subramanian Shivashangari
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  6. Vilwanathan Ravikumar
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Kanchi Subramanian Shivashangari or Vilwanathan Ravikumar.

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Responsible editor: Robert Duran

Renu Sankar and Barathan Balaji Prasath contributed equally to this study.

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Sankar, R., Prasath, B.B., Nandakumar, R. et al. Growth inhibition of bloom forming cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa by green route fabricated copper oxide nanoparticles. Environ Sci Pollut Res 21, 14232–14240 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-3362-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-3362-1

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