The effect of natural biomolecules on yttrium oxide nanoparticles from a survival rate perspective.

The attention to rare earth oxide nanoparticles (NPs), including yttrium oxide (YO), has increased in many fields due to their unique structural characteristics and functional properties. The aim of our study was to investigate the mechanisms by which bio-corona formation on YO NPs affects their environmental fate and toxicity. The YO NPs induced toxicity to freshwater filter feeder at particle concentrations of 1 and 10 mg/L, regardless of particle size. Interactions between naturally excreted biomolecules (e.g. protein, lipids, and polysaccharides) derived from and the YO NPs (30-45 nm) resulted in the formation of an eco-corona, which reduced their toxic effects toward at a particle concentration of 10 mg/L. No effects were observed at lower concentrations or for the other particle sizes investigated. Copper-zinc (Cu-Zn) superoxide dismutase, apolipophorins, and vitellogenin-1 proteins proved to be the most prominent proteins of the adsorbed corona, and possibly a reason for the reduced toxicity of the 30-45 nm YO NPs toward