Toxicity of gamma aluminium oxide nanoparticles in the Mediterranean mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis): histopathological alterations and antioxidant responses in the gill and digestive gland

Abstract

Purpose

Accumulation of Gamma aluminium oxide nanoparticles γ-Al₂O₃ NPs significant impact on aquatic ecosystems. However, the toxicity of γ-Al₂O₃ NPs in aquatic organisms has been limited investigated. This study investigated histopathological changes and antioxidant responses induced by different concentrations of γ-Al₂O₃ NPs in Mytilus galloprovincialis.

Material and methods

In this study, mussels were exposed to different concentrations of 5 nm γ-Al₂O₃ NPs (0, 5, 20 and 40 mg/L) for 96 h under controlled laboratory conditions. Gill and digestive gland from mussels were assessed to histopathological (light microscopy, histopathological condition indices, digestive gland tubule types), SOD, CAT, GPx activities.

Results

Histopathological indices calculated higher, and significantly different in all exposure groups compared to the control group in gill and digestive gland (p < 0.05). Atrophic phase tubules proportion very high in 20 and 40 mg/L γ-Al₂O₃ NPs exposure groups. No significant changes in CAT activities in the gill and digestive gland (p > 0.05). Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities significantly different (p ≤ 0.05) in the digestive gland from 20 mg/L γ-Al₂O₃ NPs exposures, and GPx activities significantly different (p < 0.05) in gill from 40 mg/L γ-Al₂O₃ NPs exposures.

Conclusion

These results indicate that contamination of γ-Al₂O₃ NPs negatively affects the aquatic organism.

Keywords:

• Histopathology
• oxidative stress
• gamma aluminium oxide nanoparticles
• nanotoxicity
• Mediterranean mussel

Acknowledgements

The authors are thankful to Selin Baskin, Merve Yaka and Ezgi Can IBIS for their help with some laboratory equipment during the experiments.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).