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Emerging Aquatic Pollutants including Engineered Nanoparticles and Their Molecular Mechanisms of Effect on Hydrobionts

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A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Toxicology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2024 | Viewed by 5758

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Alexander Gusev

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Guest Editor

1. Institute “Nanotechnology and Nanomaterials”, G.R. Derzhavin Tambov State University, 392000 Tambov, Russia
2. Department of Functional Nanosystems and High-Temperature Materials, National University of Science and Technology “MISIS”, 119991 Moscow, Russia
Interests: nanotoxicology; plant nanobiotechnology; antibacterial nanomaterials; carbon nanomaterials; metal-based nanoparticles; bioaccumulation of nanoparticles

Prof. Dr. Kirill S. Golokhvast

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor

1. Siberian Federal Scientific Center of Agrobiotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 633501 Krasnoobsk, Russia
2. Laboratory of Supercritical Fluid Research and Application in Agrobiotechnology, Tomsk State University, 634050 Tomsk, Russia
3. Vavilov All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources, 190000 Sankt-Petersburg, Russia
4. Institute of Life Science and Biomedicine, Far Eastern Federal University, 690922 Vladivostok, Russia
Interests: ecotoxicology, sustainability; environmental protection
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Our Special Issue focuses on emerging aquatic pollutants (EAP) such as antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals, pesticides, steroid hormones, pigments, surfactants, solvents, as well as engineered nanoparticles, microplastics and other chemicals and materials. Such contaminants released continuously into the aquatic environment even in very low quantities, can cause chronic toxicity and endocrine disruption in aquatic life and humans, and contribute to the emergence of resistant pathogens. Scientific knowledge about the molecular mechanisms of the toxic effect of EAP on inhabitants of marine and freshwater ecosystems is limited. There is not enough information on the interactions of EAP with each other and with other contaminants, such as mutual enhancement or reduction in toxicity. Of particular interest here are engineered nanoparticles and microplastics as potential carriers of other toxicants. There are significant methodological gaps in the identification and study of the fate of EAP in the aquatic environment and in biological media, as well as in the methods of their bioindication and bioremoval from water. Thus, there is a need to strengthen scientific knowledge and improve relevant methodological approaches to better understand the effects and mechanisms of treatment of EAP on the inhabitants of the aquatic environment, as well as to identify, bioindicate and bioremove these pollutants from water. This Special Edition welcomes original research papers as well as high-quality review papers in all of the aforesaid fields.

This Special Issue includes, but is not limited to, the following topics:

EAP of marine, fresh and waste water.
Toxic effects of EAP on a wide range of aquatic species.
Molecular mechanisms of toxicity of EAP.
Interaction of EAP, mutual enhancement and reduction of toxicity.
Promising approaches to bioindication and bioremediation of EAP from water.
New methods for EAP studying.

Dr. Alexander Gusev
Prof. Dr. Kirill S. Golokhvast
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

emerging aquatic pollutants
marine, fresh and waste water
nanoparticles
microplastics
pharmaceuticals
pesticides
steroid hormones
pigments
surfactants
solvents
toxicity mechanisms
hydrobionts
bioindication
bioremediation

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 14299 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Degenerative and Regenerative Actin Cytoskeleton Rearrangements, Cell Death, and Paradoxical Proliferation in the Gills of Pearl Gourami (Trichogaster leerii) Exposed to Suspended Soot Microparticles

by Nikolay P. Sudakov, Hung-Ming Chang, Ting-Yi Renn and Igor V. Klimenkov

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(20), 15146; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms242015146 - 13 Oct 2023

Viewed by 1106

Abstract

The effect is studied of water-suspended soot microparticles on the actin cytoskeleton, apoptosis, and proliferation in the gill epithelium of pearl gourami. To this end, the fish are kept in aquariums with 0.005 g/L of soot for 5 and 14 days. Laser confocal microscopy is used to find that at the analyzed times of exposure to the pollutant zones appear in the gill epithelium, where the actin framework of adhesion belts dissociates and F-actin either forms clumps or concentrates perinuclearly. It is shown that the exposure to soot microparticles enhances apoptosis. On day 5, suppression of the proliferation of cells occurs, but the proliferation increases to the control values on day 14. Such a paradoxical increase in proliferation may be a compensatory process, maintaining the necessary level of gill function under the exposure to toxic soot. This process may occur until the gills’ recovery reserve is exhausted. In general, soot microparticles cause profound changes in the actin cytoskeleton in gill cells, greatly enhance cell death, and influence cell proliferation as described. Together, these processes may cause gill dysfunction and affect the viability of fish. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Aquatic Pollutants including Engineered Nanoparticles and Their Molecular Mechanisms of Effect on Hydrobionts)

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16 pages, 977 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Microplastics on the Activity of Digestive and Oxidative-Stress-Related Enzymes in Peled Whitefish (Coregonus peled Gmelin) Larvae

by Yulia A. Frank, Elena A. Interesova, Mikhail M. Solovyev, Jiayi Xu and Danil S. Vorobiev

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(13), 10998; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms241310998 - 01 Jul 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1632

Abstract

Microplastics (MPs) are emergent pollutants in freshwater environments and may impact aquatic organisms, including those of nutritional value. The specific activities of digestive and antioxidant enzymes can be used as good bioindicators of the potential effects of MPs on fish in case of waterborne MP contamination. In this study, we used fluorescent polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs) to analyze the alterations in enzyme activities in larvae of Coregonus peled Gmelin (peled or Northern whitefish), one of the most valuable commercial fish species of Siberia. Our results indicate that peled larvae can ingest 2 µm PS microspheres in a waterborne exposure model. A positive correlation (r_s = 0.956; p < 0.01) was found between MP concentration in water and the number of PS microspheres in fish guts, with no significant differences between 24 h and 6-day exposure groups. The ingestion of MPs caused alterations in digestive enzyme activity and antioxidant responses at the whole-body level. The presence of PS-MPs significantly stimulated (p < 0.05) the specific activity of α-Amylase and non-specific esterases in peled larvae after 24 h. However, a pronounced positive effect (p < 0.05) of MPs on the activity of pancreatic trypsine and bile salt-activated lipase was only found after 6 days of exposure compared to after 24 h. Intestinal membrane enzyme aminopeptidase N was also stimulated in the presence of PS-MPs after 6-day exposure. We also observed a significant increase in the specific activity of catalase in peled larvae after 6 days of exposure, which indicates the MP-induced modulation of oxidative stress. Taken together, these results highlight the potential impact of environmental MPs on northern commercial fish, their importance for estimating fish stocks, and the sustainability of freshwater ecosystems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Aquatic Pollutants including Engineered Nanoparticles and Their Molecular Mechanisms of Effect on Hydrobionts)

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20 pages, 3379 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Toxicity and Biotransformation of Carbon-Based Nanomaterials in Marine Microalgae Heterosigma akashiwo

by Konstantin Pikula, Seyed Ali Johari, Ralph Santos-Oliveira and Kirill Golokhvast

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(12), 10020; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms241210020 - 12 Jun 2023

Viewed by 1243

Abstract

This work is related to the environmental toxicology risk assessment and evaluation of the possible transformation of carbon-based nanomaterials (CNMs) after contact with marine microalgae. The materials used in the study represent common and widely applied multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs), fullerene (C₆₀), graphene (Gr), and graphene oxide (GrO). The toxicity was evaluated as growth rate inhibition, esterase activity, membrane potential, and reactive oxygen species generation changes. The measurement was performed with flow cytometry after 3, 24, 96 h, and 7 days. The biotransformation of nanomaterials was evaluated after 7 days of microalgae cultivation with CNMs by FTIR and Raman spectroscopy. The calculated toxic level (EC₅₀ in mg/L, 96 h) of used CNMs reduced in the following order: CNTs (18.98) > GrO (76.77) > Gr (159.40) > C₆₀ (414.0). Oxidative stress and membrane depolarization were the main toxic action of CNTs and GrO. At the same time, Gr and C₆₀ decreased the toxic action with time and had no negative impact on microalgae after 7 days of exposure even at the concentration of 125 mg/L. Moreover, C₆₀ and Gr after 7 days of contact with microalgae cells obtained structural deformations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Aquatic Pollutants including Engineered Nanoparticles and Their Molecular Mechanisms of Effect on Hydrobionts)

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10 pages, 1163 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Dietary Exposure to Particles of Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) Induces Different Responses in Periwinkles Littorina brevicula

by Victor Pavlovich Chelomin, Valentina Vladimirovna Slobodskova, Sergey Petrovich Kukla, Andrey Alexandrovich Mazur, Nadezda Vladimirovna Dovzhenko, Avianna Fayazovna Zhukovskaya, Alexander Alexandrovich Karpenko, Maxim Alexandrovich Karpenko and Vyacheslav Sergeevich Odintsov

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(9), 8243; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms24098243 - 04 May 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1297

Abstract

The marine and ocean water pollution with different-sized plastic waste poses a real threat to the lives of the next generations. Plastic, including microplastics, is found in all types of water bodies and in the organisms that live in them. However, given the chemical diversity of plastic particles, data on their toxicity are currently incomplete. Moreover, it is clear that different organisms, depending on their habitat and feeding habits, are at different risks from plastic particles. Therefore, we performed a series of experiments on feeding the gastropod scraping mollusk Littorina brevicula with two types of polymeric particles—polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)—using a special feeding design. In the PMMA-exposed group, changes in gastrointestinal biochemical parameters such as increases in malondialdehyde (MDA) and protein carbonyls (PC) were detected, indicating the initiation of oxidative stress. Similarly, a comet assay showed an almost twofold increase in DNA damage in digestive gland cells compared to the control group. In mollusks fed with PTFE-containing food, no similar changes were recorded. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Aquatic Pollutants including Engineered Nanoparticles and Their Molecular Mechanisms of Effect on Hydrobionts)

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