Publications
NIBIOs employees contribute to several hundred scientific articles and research reports every year. You can browse or search in our collection which contains references and links to these publications as well as other research and dissemination activities. The collection is continously updated with new and historical material.
2011
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
2010
Abstract
Currently, very little data exist on the exposure of soil biota to engineered nanoparticles (ENPs), in spite of soils being an important potential sink for ENPs. Though, data on exposure are essential to determine whether or not, or to which extent, a hazard constitutes a risk. This knowledge gap is mainly due to difficulties in tracing ENPs in soils where natural nanoparticles are abundant. We used neutron activated ENPs as tracers and examined the exposure (uptake, excretion and internal distribution) of nanoparticles of cobalt (Co NPs 3.9 ± 0.8 nm) and silver (Ag NPs 20.2 ± 2.5 nm) in the earthworm Eisenia fetida, and compared this to soluble cobalt and silver salts. Accumulation patterns were highly different for cobalt and silver. Concentrations of cobalt in worms after 4 weeks exposure reached 88% and 69% of the Co ions and Co NPs concentrations in food, respectively, while corresponding values for Ag ions and Ag NPs were 2.3% and 0.4%. Both Ag NPs and Ag ions in earthworms were excreted rapidly, while only 32% of the accumulated Co ions and Co NPs were excreted within a 4 months depuration period. High accumulation of cobalt was found in blood, and to a lesser extent in the digestive tract. Sequential extraction and centrifugal ultrafiltration provided useful information on metal speciation, dissolution and bioavailability of Co NPs and Ag NPs. Both Ag NPs and Ag ions were strongly bound to soil constituents, whereas Co NPs and Co ions were largely found as water soluble species, in good agreement with the results from the uptake study.
Abstract
The exponential increase in the use of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) in a variety of commercially available products has raised concerns about their release into environmental compartments. Soils in particular have been pointed out as a major environmental sink for ENMs, e.g. through the application of sewage sludge to soil. However, data are scarce on the fate of ENMs in soils and on their bioavailability to organisms once ENMs interact with the soil matrix. The main reason for this knowledge gap has been the methodological challenges to trace and quantify ENMs in complex matrices like soils due to the presence of abundant natural nanoparticles (e.g. clays, iron oxides, organic matter). Methods able to overcome this hurdle will be introduced, as well as their limitations. The aim of this lecture is to present the current state of knowledge on the fate, behavior and toxicity of some of the most commercialized ENMs (carbon nanotubes, fullerenes, metal and metal oxides) in terrestrial ecosystems. We will see the potential modifications ENMs may undergo in soils, namely agglomeration, adsorption to soil constituents, dissolution of particles, effects of pH and organic matter on their speciation, and how these parameters can influence their transport in soil and their bioavailability to organisms. Ecotoxicity will also be addressed, through studies on bacteria, nematodes and earthworms.
Authors
Emmanuel Lapied Claire Coutris Elara Moudilou Jean-Marie Exbrayat Deborah H. Oughton Erik JonerAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Vicki Stone Bernd Nowack Anders Baun Nico van den Brink Frank von der Kammer Maria Dusinska Richard Handy Steven Hankin Martin Hassellöv Erik J. Joner Teresa FernandesAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
In terrestrial ecotoxicology there is a serious lack of data for potential hazards posed by engineered nanoparticles (ENPs). This is partly due to complex interactions between ENPs and the soil matrix, but also to the lack of suitable toxicological end points in organisms that are exposed to ENPs in a relevant manner. Earthworms are key organisms in terrestrial ecosystems, but so far only physiological end points of low sensitivity have been used in ecotoxicity studies with ENPs. We exposed the earthworm Lumbricus terrestris to silver nanoparticles and measured their impact on apoptosis in different tissues. Increased apoptotic activity was detected in a range of tissues both at acute and sublethal concentrations (down to 4 mg/kg soil). Comparing exposure in water and soil showed reduced bioavailability in soil reflected in the apoptotic response. Apoptosis appears to be a sensitive end point and potentially a powerful tool for quantifying environmental hazards of ENPs.
Authors
Hsin-Ho Huang Daniel Camsund Peter Lindblad Thorsten HeidornAbstract
Cyanobacteria are suitable for sustainable, solar-powered biotechnological applications. Synthetic biology connects biology with computational design and an engineering perspective, but requires efficient tools and information about the function of biological parts and systems. To enable the development of cyanobacterial Synthetic Biology, several molecular tools were developed and characterized: (i) a broad-host-range BioBrick shuttle vector, pPMQAK1, was constructed and confirmed to replicate in Escherichia coli and three different cyanobacterial strains. (ii) The fluorescent proteins Cerulean, GFPmut3B and EYFP have been demonstrated to work as reporter proteins in cyanobacteria, in spite of the strong background of photosynthetic pigments. (iii) Several promoters, like P(rnpB) and variants of P(rbcL), and a version of the promoter P(trc) with two operators for enhanced repression, were developed and characterized in Synechocystis sp. strain PCC6803. (iv) It was shown that a system for targeted protein degradation, which is needed to enable dynamic expression studies, is working in Synechocystis sp. strain PCC6803. The pPMQAK1 shuttle vector allows the use of the growing numbers of BioBrick parts in many prokaryotes, and the other tools herein implemented facilitate the development of new parts and systems in cyanobacteria.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
2009
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
Due to the exponential increase in production and marketing of engineered nanomaterials, concerns are raised about their inevitable spreading in the environment. Soils, with their high proportion of solid phase, are likely to constitute the major ultimate sink for engineered nanoparticles (ENPs). Regrettably, data are scarce on the potential environmental risks of ENPs on soil ecosystems. The main reason for this key knowledge gap was the lack of methodologies able to trace the ENPs in complex environmental matrices like soils, which already contain a high background of natural nanoparticles (e.g. clays, organic matter, iron oxides). Using neutron activation as a tracer technique enabled us to overcome this hurdle: neutron activated ENPs can readily be quantified by gamma spectrometry, in all kind of samples, including living organisms. Here we examined the uptake and excretion kinetics of cobalt (Co-NPs, APS 3.9 ± 0.8 nm) and silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs, APS 20.2 ± 2.5 nm) in the earthworm Eisenia fetida, as well as their internal distribution within worms. We compared the uptake, retention time and internal ditribution of Co-NPs and Ag-NPs with those of soluble salts of cobalt and silver. Earthworms were fed over a 28d period with horse manure contaminated with either neutron activated Co-NPs and Ag-NPs, or Co and Ag salts spiked with the radiotracers 60Co and 110mAg. Accumulation and excretion kinetics were assessed by gamma spectrometry on living earthworms along a three month period for silver treatments and a five month period for cobalt treatments. The patterns of accumulation were highly different for cobalt and silver. The concentration ratios [(Bq/g worm) / (Bq/g food)] after 28d uptake were 0.93 ± 0.36 and 2.02 ± 0.65 for Co-NP and Co2+, respectively, while corresponding values for Ag-NPs and Ag+ were 0.015 ± 0.016 and 0.054 ± 0.024, respectively. Almost all absorbed Co-NPs and Co2+ remained within the worms four months after transfer to clean soil, while Ag concentration ratios fell to almost zero within a few days. We investigated futher the distribution of Co-NPs and Co2+ in worms bodies by coupling autoradiography images of worm transects and gamma spectrometry on individual organs. The body wall, mainly composed of muscular fibers, and the reproductive organs (e.g. spermathecae and seminal vesicles) accumulated lower amounts of cobalt than the digestive tract. By far, the highest accumulation was found in the blood, namely in the pseudo-hearts.