Mechanistic insights into nanotoxicity determined by synchrotron radiation-based Fourier-transform infrared imaging and multivariate analysis

Screening of structural and functional alterations in duckweed (Lemna minor) induced by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) with FTIR spectroscopy

As a class of common emerging pollutants, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) and their alternatives have been widely detected in various environmental matrices, exhibiting a great threat to the ecological environment and human health. Nevertheless, changes in biomolecular structure and function of duckweed caused by PFASs and their alternatives remain unknown thus far. Herein, the effects of four PFASs, including two common legacy PFASs (perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)) and two PFASs alternatives (perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (PFBS) and 1H,1H,2H, 2H-perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (6:2 FTS)) on duckweed (Lemna minor) at biochemical level were investigated with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Although no obvious inhibitions were observed in the growth of L. minor with PFASs exposure at three levels of 1 μg L^-1, 100 μg L^-1, and 10 mg L^-1, significant structural and functional alterations were induced at the biochemical level. In response to PFASs exposure, lipid peroxidation, proteins aggregation and α-helix to β-sheet transformation of the protein conformation, as well as changes of DNA conformations were detected. Moreover, alterations in lipid, protein, and DNA were proved to be concentration-related and compound-specific. Compared to the two legacy PFASs (PFOS and PFOA), alternative ones exhibited greater effects on the biological macromolecules of L. minor. The findings of this study firstly reveal structural and functional alterations in L. minor induced by PFASs exposure, providing further understanding of their toxicity effects.

Levofloxacin and sulfamethoxazole induced alterations of biomolecules in Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata

Levofloxacin (LEV) and sulfamethoxazole (SMX) are two extensively used antibiotics. Most investigations have been concentrated on the toxic effects of antibiotics on algal species evaluated with traditional ecotoxicological endpoints; however, limited information is available on the alterations in biomolecules induced by antibiotics. Here we investigated alterations in the structure and function of biomolecules to a model species Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata following exposure of LEV and SMX by applying Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The growth inhibition tests revealed that both LEV and SMX had negative effects on algal growth, while SMX was found to be more toxic to P. subcapitata than LEV. Based on the FTIR analysis, alterations in the structure, composition and function of lipids and proteins were observed on microalgal cells, which were correlated with the dosage of LEV and SMX. As a result of lipid peroxidation induced by LEV and SMX, an increase in the lipid/protein ratio and decrease in the ratios of CH₂/lipid, CH₃/lipid, carbonyl ester/lipid and olefinic = CH/lipid were observed in all treatment groups with respect to the reference control. Moreover, alterations in the composition and secondary structure of proteins were also observed in accompany with a decrease in the Amide I/Amide II ratio and an increase of the loose β-sheet structure protein. LEV caused an elevated level of lipid peroxidation, while SMX induced a more obvious protein aggregation. The findings from this study showed that FTIR could reveal the toxic mechanism of these two antibiotics to algae at the biochemical level by linking alterations in biomolecules to biochemical dynamics and function.

New insight into the toxic effects of chloramphenicol and roxithromycin to algae using FTIR spectroscopy

Antibiotics have been frequently detected in the aquatic environment, and they may affect aquatic organisms such as algae. Here we investigated toxicity of chloramphenicol (CAP) and roxithromycin (ROX) on four species of green algae (Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata, Scenedesmus quadricauda, Scenedesmus obliquus, and Scenedesmus acuminatus) at biochemical level by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The results revealed that both CAP and ROX had negative effects on algal growth and caused alterations of biochemical components. The toxic effects varied among the four algal species and S. acuminatus was found to be less sensitive than the other three species to the antibiotics. Even with similar mechanism of action, ROX displayed more adverse effects to algae than CAP. Both antibiotics could affect algae by inhibiting fatty acid synthesis and promoting protein and DNA aggregation, thus leading to accumulation of lipid peroxidation products, increment of the loose β-sheet structure protein and transformation of B-DNA to Z-DNA. The findings from this study revealed the toxic mechanism of antibiotics to algae at the biochemical level.

Spectrochemical analysis of sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) leaves for environmental health monitoring

Terrestrial plants are ideal sentinels of environmental pollution, due to their sedentary nature, abundance and sensitivity to atmospheric changes. However, reliable and sensitive biomarkers of exposure have hitherto been difficult to characterise. Biospectroscopy offers a novel approach to the derivation of biomarkers in the form of discrete molecular alterations detectable within a biochemical fingerprint. We investigated the application of this approach for the identification of biomarkers for pollution exposure using the common sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) as a sentinel species. Attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy was used to interrogate leaf tissue collected from three sites exposed to different levels of vehicle exhaust emissions. Following multivariate analysis of acquired spectra, significant biochemical alterations were detected between comparable leaves from different sites that may constitute putative biomarkers for pollution-induced stress. These included differences in carbohydrate and nucleic acid conformations, which may be indicative of sub-lethal exposure effects. We also observed several corresponding spectral alterations in both the leaves of A. pseudoplatanus exposed to ozone pollution under controlled environmental conditions and in leaves infected with the fungal pathogen Rhytisma acerinum, indicating that some stress-induced changes are conserved between different stress signatures. These similarities may be indicative of stress-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, although further work is needed to verify the precise identity of infrared biomarkers and to identify those that are specific to pollution exposure. Taken together, our data clearly demonstrate that biospectroscopy presents an effective toolkit for the utilisation of higher plants, such as A. pseudoplatanus, as sentinels of environmental pollution.

Phenotypic responses in Caenorhabditis elegans following chronic low-level exposures to inorganic and organic compounds

Responses of organisms to sublethal exposure of environmental stressors can be difficult to detect. We investigated phenotypic changes in the tissue of Caenorhabditis elegans via Raman spectroscopy, as well as survival and reproductive output when exposed to chronic low doses of metals (copper, zinc, or silver), an herbicide (diuron), and a pesticide (imidacloprid). Raman spectroscopy measures changes in phenotype by providing information about the molecular composition and relative abundance of biomolecules. Multivariate analysis was used to evaluate the significance of treatment phenotype segregation plots compared with controls. Dose-dependent responses were observed for copper, zinc, silver, and diuron, whereas imidacloprid exposure resulted in a small response over the tested concentrations. Concentration-dependent shifts in nematode biomolecular phenotype were observed for copper. Despite having a dose-dependent reproductive response, silver, diuron, and imidacloprid produced inconsistent biological phenotype patterns. In contrast, there was a clear stepwise change between low concentrations (0.00625-0.5 mg/L) and higher concentration (1-2 mg/L) of ionic zinc. The findings demonstrate that measuring phenotypic responses via Raman spectroscopy can provide insights into the biomolecular mechanisms of toxicity. Despite the lack of consistency between survival and Raman-measured phenotypic changes, the results support the effectiveness of Raman spectroscopy and multivariate analysis to detect sublethal responses of chemicals in whole organisms and to identify toxic effect thresholds. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018;37:920-930. © 2017 SETAC.

Diet-sourced carbon-based nanoparticles induce lipid alterations in tissues of zebrafish (Danio rerio) with genomic hypermethylation changes in brain

With rising environmental levels of carbon-based nanoparticles (CBNs), there is an urgent need to develop an understanding of their biological effects in order to generate appropriate risk assessment strategies. Herein, we exposed zebrafish via their diet to one of four different CBNs: C₆₀ fullerene (C₆₀), single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT), short multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) or long MWCNTs. Lipid alterations in male and female zebrafish were explored post-exposure in three target tissues (brain, gonads and gastrointestinal tract) using ‘omic’ procedures based in liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC-MS) data files. These tissues were chosen as they are often target tissues following environmental exposure. Marked alterations in lipid species are noted in all three tissues. To further explore CBN-induced brain alterations, Raman microspectroscopy analysis of lipid extracts was conducted. Marked lipid alterations are observed with males responding differently to females; in addition, there also appears to be consistent elevations in global genomic methylation. This latter observation is most profound in female zebrafish brain tissues post-exposure to short MWCNTs or SWCNTs (P < 0.05). This study demonstrates that even at low levels, CBNs are capable of inducing significant cellular and genomic modifications in a range of tissues. Such alterations could result in modified susceptibility to other influences such as environmental exposures, pathology and, in the case of brain, developmental alterations.

Infrared spectroscopy detects changes in an amphibian cell line induced by fungicides: Comparison of single and mixture effects

Amphibians are regarded as sensitive sentinels of environmental pollution due to their permeable skin and complex life cycle, which usually involves reproduction and development in the aquatic environment. Fungicides are widely applied agrochemicals and have been associated with developmental defects in amphibians; thus, it is important to determine chronic effects of environmentally-relevant concentrations of such contaminants in target cells. Infrared (IR) spectroscopy has been employed to signature the biological effects of environmental contaminants through extracting key features in IR spectra with chemometric methods. Herein, the Xenopus laevis (A6) cell line was exposed to low concentrations of carbendazim (a benzimidazole fungicide) or flusilazole (a triazole fungicide) either singly or as a binary mixture. Cells were then examined using attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform IR (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy coupled with multivariate analysis. Results indicate significant changes in the IR spectra of cells induced by both agents at all concentrations following single exposures, primarily in regions associated with protein and phospholipids. Distinct differences were apparent in the IR spectra of cells exposed to carbendazim and those exposed to flusilazole, suggesting different mechanisms of action. Exposure to binary mixtures of carbendazim and flusilazole also induced significant spectral alterations, again in regions associated with phospholipids and proteins, but also in regions associated with DNA and carbohydrates. Overall these findings demonstrate that IR spectroscopy is a sensitive technique for examining the effects of environmentally-relevant levels of fungicides at the cellular level. The combination of IR spectroscopy with the A6 cell line could serve as a useful model to identify agents that might threaten amphibian health in a rapid and high throughput manner.

A study on the cytotoxicity of carbon-based materials

With an aim to understand the origin and key contributing factors towards carbon-induced cytotoxicity, we have studied five different carbon samples with diverse surface area, pore width, shape and size, conductivity and surface functionality. All the carbon materials were characterized with surface area and pore size distribution, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and electron microscopic imaging. We performed cytotoxicity study in Caco-2 cells by colorimetric assay, oxidative stress analysis by reactive oxygen species (ROS) detection, cellular metabolic activity measurement by adenosine triphosphate (ATP) depletion and visualization of cellular internalization by TEM imaging. The carbon materials demonstrated a varying degree of cytotoxicity in contact with Caco-2 cells. The lowest cell survival rate was observed for nanographene, which possessed the minimal size amongst all the carbon samples under this study. None of the carbons induced oxidative stress to the cells as indicated by the ROS generation results. Cellular metabolic activity study revealed that the carbon materials caused ATP depletion in cells and nanographene caused the highest depletion. Visual observation by TEM imaging indicated the cellular internalization of nanographene. This study confirmed that the size is the key cause of carbon-induced cytotoxicity and it is probably caused by the ATP depletion within the cell.

Low-dose carbon-based nanoparticle-induced effects in A549 lung cells determined by biospectroscopy are associated with increases in genomic methylation

Nanotechnology has introduced many manufactured carbon-based nanoparticles (CNPs) into our environment, generating a debate into their risks and benefits. Numerous nanotoxicology investigations have been carried, and nanoparticle-induced toxic effects have been reported. However, there remain gaps in our knowledge, primarily regarding mechanism. Herein, we assessed the global alterations induced by CNPs in A549 lung cells using biospectroscopy techniques, including attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). A549 cells were treated with fullerene (C₆₀), long or short multi-walled carbon nanotubes, or single-walled carbon nanotubes at concentrations of 0.1 mg/L, 0.01 mg/L and 0.001 mg/L. Exposed cells were then analysed by ATR-FTIR spectroscopy and SERS. Spectra were pre-processed via computational analysis, and information on biochemical alterations in exposed cells were identified. Additionally, global DNA methylation levels in cells exposed to CNPs at 0.1 mg/L were determined using HPLC-MS and genetic regulators (for DNA methylation) were checked by quantitative real-time RT-PCR. It was found that CNPs exert marked effects in A549 cells and also contribute to increases in global DNA methylation. For the first time, this study highlights that real-world levels of nanoparticles can alter the methylome of exposed cells; this could have enormous implications for their regulatory assessment.

Development of nanotoxicology: implications for drug delivery and medical devices

Current nanotoxicology research suffers from suboptimal in vitro models, lack of in vitro–in vivo correlations, variability within in vitro protocols, deficits in both material purity and physicochemical characterization. Reliable nanomaterial toxicity and mechanistic insights are required for health and toxicity risk assessments. Much in vitro toxicological data is inconclusive in designating whether nanomaterials for drug delivery and medical device implants are truly safe. A critique is presented to analyze the interface between toxicology and nanopharmaceuticals. Deficiencies of existing practices in toxicology are reviewed and useful emerging techniques (e.g., lab-on-a-chip, tissue engineering, atomic force microscopy, high-content analysis) are highlighted. Cross-fertilization between disciplines will aid development of biocompatible delivery and implant platforms while improvements are being suggested for better translation of nanotoxicology.

Interactions of multiwalled carbon nanotubes with algal cells: quantification of association, visualization of uptake, and measurement of alterations in the composition of cells

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are considered promising materials in nanotechnology. We quantified CNT accumulation by the alga Desmodesmus subspicatus. Cells were exposed to radiolabeled CNTs ((14)C-CNTs;1 mg/L) to determine uptake and association, as well as elimination and dissociation in clear media.Attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) was used to detect effects of CNTs on algae. CNT-cell interactions were visualized by electron microscopy and related to alterations in their cell composition. A concentration factor of 5000 L/kg dry weight was calculated. Most of the material agglomerated around the cells, but single tubes were detected in the cytoplasm. Computational analyses of the ATR-FTIR data showed that CNT treated algae differed from controls at all sampling times.CNT exposure changed the biochemical composition of cells. The fact that CNTs are bioavailable for algae and that they influence the cell composition is important with regard to environmental risk assessment of this nanomaterial.

Toxicity mechanism of graphene oxide and nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots in RBCs revealed by surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy

GO can extract the lipid bilayer of RBCs membranes, resulting in hemolysis and aberrant forms. In contrast, GQDs just disturb the structure and conformation of the lipid, resulting in only aberrant cells.

In vitro evaluation of the cellular effect of indium tin oxide nanoparticles using the human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells

Indium tin oxide (ITO) nanoparticles are taken up by human lung adenocarcinoma cells and the nanoparticles induce oxidative stress and DNA damage.

Ecotoxicity of engineered TiO2 nanoparticles to saltwater organisms: an overview

The innovative properties of nanomaterials make them suitable for various applications in many fields. In particular, TiO2 nanoparticles (nTiO2) are widely used in paints, in cosmetics and in sunscreens that are products accessible to the mass market. Despite the great increase in the use of such nanomaterials, there is a paucity of general information about their potential effects to the aquatic species, especially to saltwater ones. Moreover, the difficulties of determining the effective exposure scenario make the acquired information low comparable. In this work, questions about the complexity of the real exposure scenario determination are discussed. The state of the art, concerning the experimental activities with nTiO2 toward the saltwater organisms is firstly illustrated, providing statistical information about the different matrices, organisms and nanoparticles employed. A comparison of the nTiO2 ecotoxicity effects, grouped by taxonomic classes, is provided illustrating their relative experimental conditions. Findings show the need to develop specific protocols for toxicity tests with ENPs to control the variability of experimental conditions. Some advices are finally proposed for the future experimental activities.

Opportunities for live cell FT-infrared imaging: macromolecule identification with 2D and 3D localization

Infrared (IR) spectromicroscopy, or chemical imaging, is an evolving technique that is poised to make significant contributions in the fields of biology and medicine. Recent developments in sources, detectors, measurement techniques and speciman holders have now made diffraction-limited Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) imaging of cellular chemistry in living cells a reality. The availability of bright, broadband IR sources and large area, pixelated detectors facilitate live cell imaging, which requires rapid measurements using non-destructive probes. In this work, we review advances in the field of FTIR spectromicroscopy that have contributed to live-cell two and three-dimensional IR imaging, and discuss several key examples that highlight the utility of this technique for studying the structure and chemistry of living cells.

Effect of ingested tungsten oxide (WOx) nanofibers on digestive gland tissue of Porcellio scaber (Isopoda, Crustacea): fourier transform infrared (FTIR) imaging

Tungsten nanofibers are recognized as biologically potent. We study deviations in molecular composition between normal and digestive gland tissue of WOx nanofibers (nano-WOx) fed invertebrate Porcellio scaber (Iosopda, Crustacea) and revealed mechanisms of nano-WOx effect in vivo. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) imaging performed on digestive gland epithelium was supplemented by toxicity and cytotoxicity analyses as well as scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of the surface of the epithelium. The difference in the spectra of the Nano-WOx treated and control cells showed up in the central region of the cells and were related to lipid peroxidation, and structural changes of nucleic acids. The conventional toxicity parameters failed to show toxic effects of nano-WOx, whereas the cytotoxicity biomarkers and SEM investigation of digestive gland epithelium indicated sporadic effects of nanofibers. Since toxicological and cytological measurements did not highlight severe effects, the biochemical alterations evidenced by FTIR imaging have been explained as the result of cell protection (acclimation) mechanisms to unfavorable conditions and indication of a nonhomeostatic state, which can lead to toxic effects.

Dose-related alterations of carbon nanoparticles in mammalian cells detected using biospectroscopy: potential for real-world effects

Nanotechnologies generate a wide range of engineered nanomaterials that enter into our ecosystem, especially carbon-based nanoparticles (CNPs). As these novel materials acquire ever increasing numbers of applications, they may pose a risk to organisms, including humans. However, our knowledge of nanoparticle-induced effects remains limited. We are yet to understand the interaction between nanoparticles and organisms, and classical toxicology fails to provide models for risk assessment. Biospectroscopy techniques were employed to identify the effects induced by real-world levels of a panel of CNPs. MCF-7 cells concentrated in S-phase or G0/G1-phase were treated for 24 h with short or long multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) or Fullerene (C60) at the following concentrations: 0.0025 mg/L, 0.005 mg/L, 0.01 mg/L, 0.025 mg/L, 0.05 mg/L, and 0.1 mg/L. Attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy coupled with computational analysis was then applied to interrogate the cells and significant dose-related effects were detected. From derived infrared spectra, distinct spectral biomarkers of cell alteration induced by each CNP type were identified. Additionally, Raman spectroscopy was applied and allowed us to determine that reactive oxygen species (ROS) were generated by CNPs. These observations highlight the potential of biospectroscopy techniques to determine CNP-induced alterations in target mammalian cells at ppb levels.