Oxidative stress mediated toxicity of TiO2 nanoparticles after a concentration and time dependent exposure of the aquatic macrophyte Hydrilla verticillata

The present study focused on oxidative stress effects in the aquatic macrophyte Hydrilla verticillata after exposure to titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2-NPs). Experiments were conducted with different TiO2-NPs and concentrations (0.1 mg/L and 10 mg/L) in a time-dependent manner (0 h, 24 h, 48 h, 96 h, 168 h). To assess various levels of the oxidative stress response in H. verticillata, the level of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), the ratio of reduced to oxidized glutathione (GSH/GSSG), and activities of the antioxidative enzymes catalase (CAT) and glutathione reductase (GR) were evaluated. Study results imply oxidative stress effects after TiO2-NP exposure as adaptations in plant metabolism became apparent to counteract increased ROS formation. All TiO2-NPs caused elevated activities of the enzymes CAT and GR. Moreover, decreased ratios of GSH/GSSG indicated an activation of GSH-dependent pathways counteracting ROS formation. Plants exposed to a bulk-sized control revealed a size dependent influence on the antioxidative stress response. As H2O2 level increases were solely detected after exposure to 10 mg/L TiO2-NPs and nano-exposed plants showed normalization in its antioxidative stress response after 168 h of exposure, it can be suggested that macrophytes are able to cope with currently predicted low-level exposures to TiO2-NPs.