Environmental contamination from plastics represents one of the main concern of the new millennium. Plastics introduction in everyday life, had a great impact on the human habits. However its indiscriminate use and the scarce attention to environmental releasing has caused the huge contamination of terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Studies have been carried out on plastic in watercourses and in the sea, reporting the disastrous effects on livings in aquatic environment. The main issue is that plastic is not degradable but rather undergoes a slow process of fragmentation into smaller and smaller pieces generating microplastics and nanoplastics. To date few results are reported in scientific literature on nanoplastics in plants. In this work, the effects of plastic nanoparticles (NPs) (Red Dyed Polystyrene, 50 nm) at 4 different concentrations (0.01, 0.05, 0.1 and 1g/L) were evaluated on Allium cepa L, model plant for ecotoxicological studies. NPs effects were assessed after 3 days exposure during seed germination. Phytotoxicity results (seed germination and root length endpoints) indicated acute effects in A. cepa; cytogenetic data (mitotic index, cytogenetic anomalies and micronuclei endpoints) indicated a dose-dependent genotoxic effect. The oxidative stress markers analysis (content of H2O2 and of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances) and the histochemical localization of H2O2 highlighted toxic effects especially at the highest doses. TEM analysis of root cells evaluated plastic NPs internalization and ultrastructural changes. Our data indicate that plants can be damaged by exposure to nanoplastics in terms of phytotoxicity, genotoxicity and oxidative stress induction and that NPs can enter in plant cells. In soil the presence of micro or nanoplastics can be apparently less evident than in marine environments, but they can be equally harmful for terrestrial communities at different trophic levels along the food chain. Therefore equal attention should be paid to plastic contamination both in terrestrial and marine environments.

Giorgetti, L., Ruffini Castiglione, M., Bottega, S., Muccifora, S., Barbieri, F., Bellani, L., et al. (2019). Effects of nanoplastics on Allium cepa L.: phytotoxicity, genotoxicity, oxidative stress induction.

Effects of nanoplastics on Allium cepa L.: phytotoxicity, genotoxicity, oxidative stress induction

Muccifora S.;Bellani L.;
2019-01-01

Abstract

Environmental contamination from plastics represents one of the main concern of the new millennium. Plastics introduction in everyday life, had a great impact on the human habits. However its indiscriminate use and the scarce attention to environmental releasing has caused the huge contamination of terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Studies have been carried out on plastic in watercourses and in the sea, reporting the disastrous effects on livings in aquatic environment. The main issue is that plastic is not degradable but rather undergoes a slow process of fragmentation into smaller and smaller pieces generating microplastics and nanoplastics. To date few results are reported in scientific literature on nanoplastics in plants. In this work, the effects of plastic nanoparticles (NPs) (Red Dyed Polystyrene, 50 nm) at 4 different concentrations (0.01, 0.05, 0.1 and 1g/L) were evaluated on Allium cepa L, model plant for ecotoxicological studies. NPs effects were assessed after 3 days exposure during seed germination. Phytotoxicity results (seed germination and root length endpoints) indicated acute effects in A. cepa; cytogenetic data (mitotic index, cytogenetic anomalies and micronuclei endpoints) indicated a dose-dependent genotoxic effect. The oxidative stress markers analysis (content of H2O2 and of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances) and the histochemical localization of H2O2 highlighted toxic effects especially at the highest doses. TEM analysis of root cells evaluated plastic NPs internalization and ultrastructural changes. Our data indicate that plants can be damaged by exposure to nanoplastics in terms of phytotoxicity, genotoxicity and oxidative stress induction and that NPs can enter in plant cells. In soil the presence of micro or nanoplastics can be apparently less evident than in marine environments, but they can be equally harmful for terrestrial communities at different trophic levels along the food chain. Therefore equal attention should be paid to plastic contamination both in terrestrial and marine environments.
2019
Giorgetti, L., Ruffini Castiglione, M., Bottega, S., Muccifora, S., Barbieri, F., Bellani, L., et al. (2019). Effects of nanoplastics on Allium cepa L.: phytotoxicity, genotoxicity, oxidative stress induction.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11365/1109567