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The short-term toxic effects of TiO2 nanoparticles toward bacteria through viability, cellular respiration, and lipid peroxidation

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Abstract

To better understand the potential impacts of metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) on Gram(+) Bacillus subtilis and Gram(−) Escherichia coli (K12) bacteria, eight different nanosized titanium dioxide (TiO2) suspensions with five different concentrations were used. Water quality parameters (pH, temperature, and ionic strength), light sources, and light intensities were also changed to achieve different environmental conditions. The photosensitive TiO2 NPs were found to be harmful to varying degrees under ambient conditions, with antibacterial activity increasing with primary particle sizes from 16 to 20 nm. The presence of light was a significant factor under most conditions tested, presumably due to its role in promoting generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, bacterial growth inhibition was also observed under dark conditions and different water quality parameters, indicating that undetermined mechanisms additional to photocatalytic ROS production were responsible for toxicity. The results also indicated that nano-TiO2 particles in the absence and the presence of photoactivation induced lipid peroxidation and cellular respiration disruption.

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Acknowledgments

The materials presented in this paper were based upon work supported by US EPA under STAR Project Grant No. R-83172101. The nanomaterials used in this study came from the following suppliers: Degussa Corp. and Nanostructured and Amorphous Materials, Inc.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Engineering, Akdeniz University, Antalya, 07058, Turkey

    Ayca Erdem

  2. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA

    Ayca Erdem, David Metzler, Daniel K. Cha & C. P. Huang

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  1. Ayca Erdem
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  2. David Metzler
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  4. C. P. Huang
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Correspondence to Ayca Erdem.

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Responsible editor: Cinta Porte

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Erdem, A., Metzler, D., Cha, D.K. et al. The short-term toxic effects of TiO2 nanoparticles toward bacteria through viability, cellular respiration, and lipid peroxidation. Environ Sci Pollut Res 22, 17917–17924 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-5018-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-5018-1

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