Laboratory of Integrative Physiology, Faculty of Sciences of Bizerte, University of Carthage, 7021, Jarzouna, Tunisia.
Research Unit of Immuno-Microbiology Environmental and Carcinogenesis, Sciences Faculty of Bizerte, University of Carthage, Bizerte, Tunisia.
Sci Rep. 2022 Feb 8;12(1):2078. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-06090-1.
Silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) are extremely useful in a diverse range of consumer goods. However, their impact on the environment is still under research, especially regarding the mechanisms involved in their effect. Aiming to provide some insight, the present work analyzes the transcriptional activity of six genes (Hsp83, Hsp17.2, Hsp19.8, SOD Cu-Zn, Mn-SOD, and BPI) in the terrestrial snail Helix aspersa in the presence of different concentrations of Ag-NPs. The animals were exposed for seven days to Lactuca sativa soaked for one hour in different concentrations of Ag-NPs (20, 50, 100 mg/L). The results revealed that the highest concentration tested of Ag-NPs (100 mg/L) led to a statistically significant induction of the Hsp83 and BPI expression in the digestive gland compared to the control group. However, a trend to upregulation with no statistical significance was observed for all the genes in the digestive gland and the foot, while in the hemolymph, the trend was to downregulation. Ag-NPs affected the stress response and immunity under the tested conditions, although the impact was weak. It is necessary to explore longer exposure times to confirm that the effect can be maintained and impact on health. Our results highlight the usefulness of the terrestrial snail Helix aspersa as a bioindicator organism for silver nanoparticle pollution biomonitoring and, in particular, the use of molecular biomarkers of pollutant effect as candidates to be included in a multi-biomarker strategy.
纳米银颗粒（Ag-NPs）在各种消费品中具有极其广泛的用途。然而，其对环境的影响仍在研究之中，特别是在涉及到其作用机制方面。本研究旨在分析不同浓度的 Ag-NPs 对陆生蜗牛 Helix aspersa 六种基因（Hsp83、Hsp17.2、Hsp19.8、SOD Cu-Zn、Mn-SOD 和 BPI）的转录活性的影响。将动物暴露于不同浓度的 Ag-NPs（20、50、100 mg/L）中 7 天，这些 Ag-NPs 是通过一小时浸泡在不同浓度的 Ag-NPs 中的莴苣（Lactuca sativa）中提取的。结果表明，与对照组相比，测试的最高浓度 Ag-NPs（100 mg/L）在消化腺中导致 Hsp83 和 BPI 的表达呈统计学显著诱导。然而，在消化腺和足部中，所有基因都观察到上调的趋势，但没有统计学意义，而在血淋巴中，趋势是下调。在测试条件下，Ag-NPs 影响了应激反应和免疫，尽管影响较弱。有必要探索更长的暴露时间，以确认这种效果能够维持，并对健康产生影响。我们的研究结果强调了陆生蜗牛 Helix aspersa 作为生物指示物用于监测银纳米颗粒污染的有用性，特别是将污染物效应的分子生物标志物用作纳入多生物标志物策略的候选物。
