Abstract
In recent years, there has been a significant rise in the utilization of amino-functionalized polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NH2). This surge in usage can be attributed to their exceptional characteristics, including a substantial specific surface area, high energy, and strong reactivity. These properties make them highly suitable for a wide range of industrial and medical applications. Nevertheless, there is a growing apprehension regarding their potential toxicity to aquatic organisms, particularly when considering the potential impact of heavy metals like lead (Pb) on the toxicity of PS-NH2. Herein, we examined the toxic effects of sole PS-NH2 (90 nm) at five concentrations (e.g., 0, 0.125, 0.25, 0.5, and 1 mg/L), as well as the simultaneous exposure of PS-NH2 and Pb2+ (using two environmental concentrations, e.g., 20 μg/L for Pb low (PbL) and 80 μg/L for Pb higher (PbH)) to the microalga Chlorella vulgaris. After a 96-h exposure, significant differences in chlorophyll a content and algal growth (biomass) were observed between the control group and other treatments (ANOVA, p < 0.05). The algae exposed to PS-NH2, PS-NH2 + PbL, and PS-NH2 + PbH treatment groups exhibited dose-dependent toxicity responses to chlorophyll a content and biomass. According to the Abbott toxicity model, the combined toxicity of treatment groups of PS-NH2 and PbL,H showed synergistic effects. The largest morphological changes such as C. vulgaris’ size reduction and cellular aggregation were evident in the medium treated with elevated concentrations of both PS-NH2 and Pb2+. The toxicity of the treatment groups followed the sequence PS-NH2 < PS-NH2 + PbL < PS-NH2 + PbH. These results contribute novel insights into co-exposure toxicity to PS-NH2 and Pb2+ in algae communities.
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The datasets utilized in the study can be obtained from the first author upon a reasonable request.
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Funding
This work was funded by Iran National Science Foundation (INSF) under project no. 97002416, High-Level Talents Project of Chongqing Medical University (No. R4014), and China-Sri Lanka Joint Research and Demonstration Center for Water Technology, and China-Sri Lanka Joint Center for Education and Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China.
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Mehdi Khoshnamvand: methodology, investigation, formal analysis, conceptualization, resources, and writing—original draft. Amir Hossein Hamidian: supervision, project administration, writing—review and editing, and funding acquisition. Saeed Ashtiani: methodology and review and editing. Jafar Ali: review and editing. De-Sheng Pei: supervision, project administration, review and editing, and funding acquisition.
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Highlights
•The binary toxicities of PS-NH2 and PbL,H treatment groups to C. vulgaris are synergistic.
• PS-NH2, PS-NH2+PbL,, and PS-NH2+PbH treatment groups induce oxidative stress in C. vulgaris.
• PS-NH2+PbH treatment group causes the lowest antioxidant capacity in C. vulgaris.
• Largest C. vulgaris’ morphological changes are observed in the medium treated with high PS-NH2 and Pb.
• Toxicity levels of the treatment groups increased in the following order: PS-NH2 < PS-NH2+PbL < PS-NH2+PbH.
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Khoshnamvand, M., Hamidian, A.H., Ashtiani, S. et al. Combined toxic effects of polystyrene nanoplastics and lead on Chlorella vulgaris growth, membrane lipid peroxidation, antioxidant capacity, and morphological alterations. Environ Sci Pollut Res 31, 28620–28631 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-33084-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-33084-5