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. 2020 Jul 28:7:947-954.
doi: 10.1016/j.toxrep.2020.07.011. eCollection 2020.

The toxic influence and biodegradation of carbon nanofibers in freshwater invertebrates of the families Gammaridae, Ephemerellidae, and Chironomidae

Vladimir Chaika  1 , Konstantin Pikula  1   2 , Tatyana Vshivkova  3 , Alexander Zakharenko  1   2 , Galina Reva  1 , Konstantin Drozdov  4 , Alexander I Vardavas  5 , Polychronis D Stivaktakis  5 , Taxiarchis K Nikolouzakis  6 , Antonios K Stratidakis  7 , Manolis N Kokkinakis  8 , Alexandra Kalogeraki  9 , Tatyana Burykina  10 , Dimosthenis A Sarigiannis  7   11 , Aleksei Kholodov  12 , Kirill Golokhvast  1   2   13
Affiliations

The toxic influence and biodegradation of carbon nanofibers in freshwater invertebrates of the families Gammaridae, Ephemerellidae, and Chironomidae

Vladimir Chaika et al. Toxicol Rep. .

Abstract

Carbon nanofibers (CNFs) are widely used in consumer products today. In this study, we assessed the effects of CNFs on the digestive system of three freshwater invertebrate species (Gammaridae, Ephemerellidae, and Chironomidae). The aquatic insects Diamesa sp., Drunella cryptomeria, and Gammarus suifunensis were incubated with the CNFs at the concentration of 100 mg/L during the 7-days period. Histological examination of the whole specimens and the longitudinal sections revealed no toxic effects of CNFs. However, a noticeable change in the structure of the CNFs accumulated in the intestines of the aquatic insects was found by Raman spectroscopy. The registered decrease in the relative proportion of amorphous carbon included in the CNF sample was found in the intestines of Diamesa sp. and D. cryptomeria. The registered effect can indicate a biodegradation of amorphous carbon in the digestive tract of these two insect species. In contrast, the decrease of highly structured carbons and the decrease of G-bonds intensity were registered in the digestive tract of G. suifunensis. This observation demonstrates the partial biodegradation of CNFs in the digestive tract of G. suifunensis.

Keywords: Biodegradation; Carbon nanofibers; Ecotoxicology; Freshwater insects; Nanotoxicology; Toxicity.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

None
Graphical abstract
Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The intestinal epithelium of the insect specimens used in the bioassay (Hematoxylin-Eosin 10 × 40). (A) CON group of G. suifunensis, (B) EXP group of G. suifunensis, (C) CON group of Diamesa sp., (D) EXP group of Diamesa sp., (E) CON group of D. cryptomeria, (F) EXP group of D. cryptomeria.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The conglomerates of carbon nanofibers in EXP groups of the insects (Hematoxylin-Eosin 10 × 20). (A) intestinal lumen of G. suifuensis, (B) tarsus of G. suifunensis, (C) intestinal lumen of Diamesa sp., (D) intestinal lumen of D. cryptomeria.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
The Raman spectrums of the aggregates from the intestine of the EXP groups of insects (A) G. suifunensis,(B) Diamesa sp., (C) D. cryptomeria.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Morphometric parameters of the intestinal epithelium in the EXP group in G. suifunensis.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Morphometric parameters of the intestinal epithelium in the EXP group in Diamesa sp.
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Morphometric parameters of the intestinal epithelium in the EXP group in D. cryptomeria.
Fig. 7
Fig. 7
Single cells loaded with dark inclusions in the intestinal wall of the EXP group of D. cryptomeria (Hematoxylin-Eosin 10 × 20).
Fig. 8
Fig. 8
Raman spectrum of aggregates from the intestine in CON groups.
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