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Nanotoxicity assessment in plants: an updated overview

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Abstract

Nanotechnology is rapidly emerging and innovative interdisciplinary field of science. The application of nanomaterials in agricultural biotechnology has been exponentially increased over the years that could be attributed to their uniqueness, versatility, and flexibility. The overuse of nanomaterials makes it crucial to determine their fate and distribution in the in vitro (in cell and tissue cultures) and in vivo (in living species) biological environments by investigating the nano-biointerface. The literature states that the beneficial effects of nanoparticles come along with their adverse effects, subsequently leading to an array of short-term and long-term toxicities. It has been evident that the interplay of nanoparticles with abiotic and biotic communities produces several eco-toxicological effects, and the physiology and biochemistry of crops are greatly influenced by the metabolic alterations taking place at cellular, sub-cellular, and molecular levels. Numerous risk factors affect nanoparticle’s accumulation, translocation, and associated cytogenotoxicity. This review article summarizes the contributing factors, possible mechanisms, and risk assessment of hazardous effects of various types of nanoparticles to plant health. The methods for evaluating the plant nanotoxicity parameters have been elaborated. Conclusively, few recommendations are put forward for designing safer, high-quality nanomaterials to protect and maintain environmental safety for smarter agriculture demanded by researchers and industrialists.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the Department of Biotechnology, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan and School of Science, and the Environment, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, Newfoundland, Canada.

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Hira Zafar: conceptualization, data curation, formal analysis, investigation, and writing—original draft. Rabia Javed: conceptualization, data curation, formal analysis, investigation, methodology, software, supervision, validation, visualization, writing—original draft, and writing—review and editing. Muhammad Zia: conceptualization, formal analysis, methodology, project administration, supervision, and writing—review and editing.

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Correspondence to Rabia Javed.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Responsible Editor: Gangrong Shi

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Highlights

• Toxic effects are produced in plants by metal, metal oxide, polymeric, and carbon-based nanoparticles.

• Risk factors play key role in determining the cytogenotoxicity of nanoparticles in biological systems.

• Assessment of phytotoxicity is performed by evaluating physiological, biochemical, and molecular parameters of plants.

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Zafar, ., Javed, R. & Zia, M. Nanotoxicity assessment in plants: an updated overview. Environ Sci Pollut Res 30, 93323–93344 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-29150-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-29150-z

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