Stabilization of engineered zero-valent nanoiron with Na-acrylic copolymer enhances spermiotoxicity

Infertility in male aquatic invertebrates: a review

As a result of endocrine disruptor studies, there are numerous examples of male related reproductive abnormalities observed in vertebrates. Contrastingly, within the invertebrates there have been considerably less examples both from laboratory and field investigations. This has in part been due to a focus of female related endpoints, inadequate biomarkers and the low number of studies. Whether contaminant induced male infertility is an issue within aquatic invertebrates and their wider communities therefore remains largely unknown and represents a key knowledge gap in our understanding of pollutant impacts in aquatic wildlife. This paper reviews the current knowledge regarding pollutants impacting male infertility across several aquatic invertebrate phyla; which biomarkers are currently being used and where the science needs to be expanded. The limited studies conducted so far have revealed reductions in sperm numbers, examples of poor fertilisation success, DNA damage to spermatozoa and inhibition of sperm motility that can be induced by a range of environmental contaminants. This limited data is mainly comprised from laboratory studies with only a few studies of sperm toxicity in natural populations. Clearly, there is a need for further studies in this area, to include both laboratory and field studies from clean and reference sites, with a focus on broadcast spawners and those with direct fertilisation. Biomarkers developed for measuring sperm quantity and quality in vertebrates are easily transferable to invertebrates but require optimisation for particular species. We discuss how sperm tracking and techniques for measuring DNA strand breaks and sperm viability have been successfully transferred from human infertility clinics to aquatic invertebrate ecotoxicology. Linking sperm toxicity and male infertility effects to higher level impacts on the reproductive biology and dynamics of populations requires a much greater understanding of fertilisation dynamics and sperm competition/limitation for invertebrate species and represents the next challenge in our understanding of male toxicity effects in natural populations.

Stabilization or oxidation of nanoscale zerovalent iron at environmentally relevant exposure changes bioavailability and toxicity in medaka fish

Nanoscale zerovalent iron (nZVI)-based nanotechnologies are increasingly being used for environmental remediation; however, the fate and ecotoxicologic effects of nZVI remain unclear. Larvae of medaka fish (Oryzias latipes) underwent 3-14 days' aqueous exposure to thoroughly characterized solutions containing carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)-stabilized nZVI, bare nZVI, nanoscale iron oxide (nFe(3)O(4)) or ferrous ion [Fe(II)(aq)] at μg/L-mg/L levels to assess the causal toxic effect(s) of iron nanoparticles (NPs). Acute larval mortality was decreased in the order of Fe(II)(aq) > CMC-nZVI > nZVI > nFe(3)O(4). CMC-nZVI (100 mg/L) increased hypoxia and reactive oxygen species (ROS) and Fe(II)(aq) production, thus increasing mortality and oxidative stress response as compared with unstabilized nZVI. Additionally, nFe(3)O(4) and nZVI were more bioavailable than suspended CMC-nZVI or Fe(II)(aq). Antioxidant activities were significantly altered by induced intracellular ROS levels in larvae with subchronic exposure to nFe(3)O(4) or Fe(II)(aq) at environmentally relevant concentrations (0.5-5 mg/L). We report on different organizational biomarkers used for rapidly assessing the lethal and sublethal toxicity of nZVI and its stabilized or oxidized products. The toxicity results implicate a potential ecotoxicological fate and impact of nZVI on the aquatic environment.

The effects of biofilm on the transport of stabilized zerovalent iron nanoparticles in saturated porous media

The transport of stabilized zerovalent iron nanoparticles (nZVI) has recently been the topic of extensive research due to its proven potential as an in situ remediation tool. However, these studies have ignored the effects of biofilms-complex aggregations of bacterial cells and excreted extracellular polymeric substances present in nearly all aquatic systems-on the transport of these particles. This study examines the effects of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PAO1) biofilm, at a cell concentration similar to that reported for saturated aquifers, on the transport of commercially available, poly (acrylic acid) stabilized nZVI (pnZVI) in 14 cm long columns packed with saturated glass beads at salt concentrations of 1 and 25 mM NaCl. Compared to retention on uncoated columns, in the presence of biofilm the retention of pnZVI increased at higher ionic strength, while ionic strength played no role in retention of these nanoparticles in the absence of biofilm. The Tufenkji-Elimelech correlation equation predicts lower retention of pnZVI on biofilm coated columns compared to uncoated columns due to a lower Hamaker constant, and DLVO energy considerations predict the most favorable attachment to uncoated porous media at higher ionic strength. A steric (polymer-mediated) model that considers the combined influence of steric effects of polymers and DLVO interactions is shown to adequately describe particle retention in columns.

Magnetic nanoparticles for the manipulation of proteins and cells

In the rapidly developing areas of nanobiotechnology, magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) are one type of the most well-established nanomaterials because of their biocompatibility and the potential applications as alternative contrast enhancing agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). While the development of MNPs as alternative contrast agents for MRI application has moved quickly to testing in animal models and clinical trials, other applications of biofunctional MNPs have been explored extensively at the stage of qualitative or conceptual demonstration. In this critical review, we summarize the development of two straightforward applications of biofunctional MNPs--manipulating proteins and manipulating cells--in the last five years or so and hope to provide a relatively comprehensive assessment that may help the future developments. Specifically, we start with the examination of the strategy for the surface functionalization of MNPs because the applications of MNPs essentially depend on the molecular interactions between the functional molecules on the MNPs and the intended biological targets. Then, we discuss the use of MNPs for manipulating proteins since protein interactions are critical for biological functions. Afterwards, we evaluate the development of the use of MNPs to manipulate cells because the response of MNPs to a magnetic field offers a unique way to modulate cellular behavior in a non-contact or "remote" mode (i.e. the magnet exerts force on the cells without direct contact). Finally, we provide a perspective on the future directions and challenges in the development of MNPs for these two applications. By reviewing the examples of the design and applications of biofunctional MNPs, we hope that this article will provide a reference point for the future development of MNPs that address the present challenges and lead to new opportunities in nanomedicine and nanobiotechnology (137 references).

Microbial bioavailability of covalently bound polymer coatings on model engineered nanomaterials

By controlling nanoparticle flocculation and deposition, polymer coatings strongly affect nanoparticle fate, transport, and subsequent biological impact in the environment. Biodegradation is a potential route to coating breakdown, but it is unknown whether surface-bound polymers are bioavailable. Here we demonstrate, for the first time, that polymer coatings covalently bound to nanomaterials are bioavailable. Model poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) brush-coated nanoparticles (densely cross-linked bottle brush copolymers) with hydrophobic divinyl benzene cross-linked cores and hydrophilic PEO brush shells, having ~ 30 nm hydrodynamic radii, were synthesized to obtain a nanomaterial in which biodegradation was the only available coating breakdown mechanism. PEO-degrading enrichment cultures were supplied with either PEO homopolymer or PEO brush nanoparticles as the sole carbon source, and protein and CO₂ production were monitored as a measure of biological conversion. Protein production after 90 h corresponded to 14% and 8% of the total carbon available in the PEO homopolymer and PEO brush nanoparticle cultures, respectively, and CO₂ production corresponded to 37% and 3.8% of the carbon added to the respective system. These results indicate that the PEO in the brush is bioavailable. Brush biodegradation resulted in particle aggregation, pointing to the need to understand biologically mediated transformations of nanoparticle coatings in order to understand the fate and transport of nanoparticles in the environment.