Nanozinc as an emerging nanopollutant: sublethal effects on the invasive freshwater bivalve Limnoperna fortunei (Dunker, 1857)

Abstract

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONP) are among the most widely produced nanomaterials worldwide given their unique properties, despite their nanotoxicity has been poorly addressed. In parallel, environmental concern has risen because of increasing amounts of them reaching the environmental matrices, whereas the aquatic ones are one of the main final sinks. As key non-target species, we aimed to expose the invasive freshwater bivalve Limnoperna fortunei to sublethal concentrations of ZnONP (0, 0.025, 0.25, and 2.5 mg/L) to evaluate tissue damage and oxidative stress-related markers in the soft tissue. After a 96 h-exposure, the alkaline phosphatase enzyme activity increased after 0.025 mg/L, and the alanine aminotransferase activity decreased at 2.5 mg/L. Aspartate aminotransferase enzyme activity also decreased at 0.25 and 2.5 mg/L. In terms of oxidative stress, only superoxide dismutase activity increased after exposure to the lowest nanozinc concentration. We concluded that nanozinc may pose a threat to the aquatic biota in a context that lacks proper regulation and control for nanopollutants, and that the toxicity mechanisms in this species are mainly related to tissue damage, even at environmentally relevant concentrations, as the lowest one tested.