Evaluation of Toxicological Effects of ZnO and CuO Nanoparticles with Taraxacum officinale as Bioindicator

Nanoparticles are rising worries because of recent reports about potential toxicity amid the incorporation of these emerging materials into consumer products, and industrial and scientific applications. New developments in the automotive industry are incorporating novel materials, which have increased the emission of nanoparticles into the atmosphere. To overcome the difficulty of detecting and characterizing atmospheric nanoparticles, alternative methods have been proposed, just as the indirect detection and characterization with bioindicators. We report the use of Taraxacum officinale as a sentinel organism to describe the effects of atmospheric nanostructured pollutants. ZnO and CuO nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs, CuO-NPs) were selected for this study, as they are two of the most present nanomaterials in the emerging automotive industry. The physiological effect on Taraxacum officinale exposure to ZnO-NPs and CuO-NPs was evaluated through growth rate, and total chlorophyll content; and comet assay was performed to evaluate the DNA damage. The exposure of plants was made by nebulizing dispersions of the nanoparticles. The exposure to ZnO-NPs presented the maximum DNA damage at a concentration of 100 mg/L. The DNA damage by both studied nanoparticles showed a significant difference against its bulk counterparts. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs showed an accumulation of nanoparticles near the stomata. The study demonstrated the feasibility of T. officinale as a bioindicator of air-related nanoparticles toxicity, and the high sensitivity of the comet assay for this approach.

Automated summary

Nanoparticles are causing concerns due to their potential toxicity when incorporated into consumer products and industrial applications. The automotive industry, in particular, is emitting a large number of nanoparticles into the atmosphere through the use of novel materials. Taraxacum officinale was used as a bioindicator to assess the effects of ZnO and CuO nanoparticles on growth rate, chlorophyll content, and DNA damage. The study demonstrated the feasibility of using Taraxacum officinale as a bioindicator for atmospheric nanoparticles toxicity, and the high sensitivity of the comet assay for evaluating DNA damage.