Impact of morphologically tuned silica nanoparticles on the invasive freshwater bivalve Limnoperna fortunei

Abstract

Silica nanoparticles (SiNP) have a high global production volume, but their toxicity is far from being completelyunderstood. In this study, we synthesized SiNP with distinct morphological features: dense SiNP (dSiNP), conventional mesoporous SiNP (MSN), and two types of flower-like dendritic mesoporous SiNP with a stellatelamellar structure: one using ibuprofen (FLW-IBU) and one using sodium salicylate (FLW-NaSal) as auxiliarytemplates. To assess their toxicological impact, we conducted a 96-hour bioassay exposing the freshwater bivalveLimnoperna fortunei to 10 µg/mL of these varied SiNP. Exposure to dSiNP increased superoxide dismutase andglutathione S-transferase enzyme activities in the soft tissue of bivalves. Lipid peroxidation levels also augmentedfollowing exposure to both dSiNP and MSN. We observed no significant alterations in tissular damage markersacross treatments. Neither FLW-IBU nor FLW-NaSal induced any deleterious effect, indicating they are lessdetrimental to L. fortunei. These findings contribute to the safe-by-design development of nanomaterials.