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Impact of silver nanoparticles on the growth, fatty acid profile, and antioxidative response of Nannochloropsis oculata

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Abstract

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AgNPs caused significant toxicity and induced oxidative stress in the microalga N. oculata. Also, the interaction between AgNPs and algae led to cell membrane damage.

Abstract

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been broadly applied in several industrial sectors, and thus inevitably released into the aquatic environments. In the present study, the effect of various concentrations of AgNPs (up to 50 mg/L) on the microalga Nannochloropsis oculata (N. oculata) was investigated. The obtained results showed that half maximal effective concentration (EC50) of AgNPs for the microalga was 20.88 mg/L. Also, the different applied concentrations of AgNPs inhibited the cell growth as well as the photosynthetic machinery and stimulated the production of malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). AgNP treatments dramatically enhanced the content of carotenoids in the treated algae, while they significantly reduced the quantity of phenolic compounds. Furthermore, AgNPs increased the enzymatic activity of catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), while they considerably decreased the activity of polyphenol oxidase (PPO) compared to the control sample. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) examination demonstrated that after exposure of N. oculata cells to AgNPs, the amounts of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) were raised, while the levels of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) were lessened. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) results and the microscopic images revealed the interaction of AgNPs with the cells of N. oculata.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran

    Nasrin Fazelian & Ali Movafeghi

  2. Department of Marine Biology, Faculty of Marine Science and Technology, University of Hormozgan, Minab Road, Bandar Abbas, Iran

    Morteza Yousefzadi

  3. Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Qom, P.O. Box, 37161-46611, Qom, Iran

    Morteza Yousefzadi

  4. Food Health Research Center, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran

    Mahsa Rahimzadeh

  5. Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran

    Mahsa Rahimzadeh

  6. Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Hormozgan, Bandar Abbas, Iran

    Maaroof Zarei

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  1. Nasrin Fazelian
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  2. Ali Movafeghi
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  3. Morteza Yousefzadi
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  4. Mahsa Rahimzadeh
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  5. Maaroof Zarei
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Author contribution

Study conception and design: MY. Acquisition of data: NF. Analysis and interpretation of data: NF, AM, MY, MR, and MZ. Drafting of manuscript: NF, and MY. Critical revision: NF, AM, MY, MR, and MZ.

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Correspondence to Ali Movafeghi or Morteza Yousefzadi.

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Fazelian, N., Movafeghi, A., Yousefzadi, M. et al. Impact of silver nanoparticles on the growth, fatty acid profile, and antioxidative response of Nannochloropsis oculata. Acta Physiol Plant 42, 126 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-020-03101-4

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