Evidence of three-level trophic transfer of quantum dots in an aquatic food chain by using bioimaging

Abstract

In this study, we demonstrated the three-level trophic transfer of quantum dots (QDs) within the aquatic food chain. Using bioimaging, we observed QD transfer from protozoa (Astasia longa) to zooplankton (Moina macrocopa) to fish (Danio rerio). Bioimaging is an effective tool that can improve our understanding of the delivery of nanomaterials in vivo. Measurement with an intravital multiphoton laser scanning microscope visually proved the transfer of QDs from the first to the second and the second to the third levels. As QDs may be passed from lower organisms to humans via the food chain, our findings have implications for the safety of their use.

• Bioaccumulation
• bioimaging
• quantum dots
• trophic transfer

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Korean Basic Science Institute for IMP-LSM and ICP-MS analyses. We also gratefully acknowledge the help of Seung-Hae Kwon and Ok Kyu Park with IMP-LSM.

Declaration of interest

This work was supported by the National Research Foundation Grant funded by the Korean Government (NRF 2011- 0015985). W.-M. Lee was supported in part by a postdoctoral grant (NRF-2011-355-D00028).

Supplementary material available online

Supplementary methods

Supplementary Figures S1–S4

Supplementary information for Table 1