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Antioxidant response to ZnO nanoparticles in juvenile Takifugu obscurus: protective effects of salinity

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Abstract

The extensive utilization of Zinc Oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) has garnered significant attention due to their detrimental impacts on ecosystem. Unfortunately, ecotoxicity of ZnO NPs in coastal waters with fluctuating salinity has been disregarded. This study mainly discussed the toxic effects of ZnO NPs on species inhabiting the transition zones between freshwater and brackish water, who are of great ecological and economic importance among fish. To serve as the model organism, Takifugu obscurus, a juvenile euryhaline fish, was exposed to different ZnO NPs concentrations (0–200 mg/L) and salinity levels (0 and 15 ppt). The results showed that a moderate increase in salinity (15 ppt) could alleviate the toxic effect of ZnO NPs, as evidenced by improved survival rates. The integrated biomarker response index on oxidative stress also revealed that the toxicity of ZnO NPs was higher in freshwater compared to brackish water. These outcomes can be attributed to higher salinity (15 ppt) reducing the bioavailability of ZnO NPs by facilitating their aggregation and inhibiting the release of metal ions. It is noteworthy that elevated salinity was found to alleviate ZnO NPs toxicity by means of osmotic adjustment via the activation of Na+/K+-ATPase activity. This study demonstrates the salinity-dependent effect of ZnO NPs on T. obscurus, suggesting the possibility for euryhaline fish like T. obscurus to adapt their habitat towards more saline environments, under constant exposure to ZnO NPs.

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Funding

The authors declare that this research was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 52121006, U2240207), and the National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2022YFC3203900).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Eco-Environmental Research, Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, Nanjing, 210029, China

    Yuqing Lin, Jun Wang, Shufeng He, Hanlu Yan & Qiuwen Chen

  2. Yangtze Institute for Conservation and Green Development, Nanjing, 210029, China

    Yuqing Lin & Qiuwen Chen

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  1. Yuqing Lin
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  2. Jun Wang
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Contributions

QC and YL designed the investigation; JW did experiments; YL and JW wrote the main manuscript text; JW, SH, and HY prepared figures and tables. All authors reviewed the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Qiuwen Chen.

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Authors declare that the animal experimental processes were carried out following the instructions of Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees (IACUC), and conducted in Nanjing Normal University with permission (number: SYXK2015-0028).

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Lin, Y., Wang, J., He, S. et al. Antioxidant response to ZnO nanoparticles in juvenile Takifugu obscurus: protective effects of salinity. Ecotoxicology 33, 85–93 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-023-02726-8

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