Hemocyte responses of the thick shell mussel Mytilus coruscus exposed to nano-TiO2 and seawater acidification

[Display omitted] •Immune responses to nano-TiO2 and low pH were investigated in mussels.•Nano-TiO2 and low pH induced interactive and carry-over effects on hemocytes.•High-concentration nano-TiO2 influenced the immune function more severely than low pH. With increasing production from nanotechnolog...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Aquatic toxicology 2016-11, Vol.180, p.1-10
Main Authors: Huang, Xizhi, Lin, Daohui, Ning, Ke, Sui, Yanming, Hu, Menghong, Lu, Weiqun, Wang, Youji
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acidification
Flow cytometry
Hemocyte
Immune response
Marine
Mytilus coruscus
Nano-TiO2
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Summary:[Display omitted] •Immune responses to nano-TiO2 and low pH were investigated in mussels.•Nano-TiO2 and low pH induced interactive and carry-over effects on hemocytes.•High-concentration nano-TiO2 influenced the immune function more severely than low pH. With increasing production from nanotechnology industries, nanomaterials are inevitably released into the aquatic environment, thereby posing a potential risk to aquatic organisms. Thus, concerns have been raised on the potential ecotoxicological effect of nanoparticle. Furthermore, the ecotoxicological consequences caused by the interaction of nanoparticles with other environmental stresses, such as seawater acidification on marine animals, have not been evaluated. In particular, whether acidification enhances the susceptibility to nanoparticles in bivalves needs to be evaluated. In the present study, we investigated the combined effects of low pH and nanoscale titanium dioxide (nano-TiO2) on some immune parameters of hemocytes in the mussel Mytilus coruscus by flow cytometry under six combinations of two pH values (7.3 and 8.1) and three nano-TiO2 concentrations (0, 2.5, and 10mgL−1) for 14 d. Afterward, the mussels were shifted to normal conditions without nano-TiO2 at pH 8.1 for 7 d further to test their recovery from the multiple stresses. Total hemocyte count (THC), phagocytosis (Pha), esterase (Est), and lysosomal content (Lyso) decreased under low pH and high nano-TiO2 concentration conditions, whereas hemocyte mortality (HM) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) increased with nano-TiO2 concentrations under low pH conditions. The interactive effects between pH and nano-TiO2 were observed at the latter part of the exposure experiment (7 and 14 d) in most hemocyte parameters. Nano-TiO2 influenced the immune functions of mussel more severely than low pH. Slight recovery from the combined stresses was observed for HM, THC, Pha, and Lyso, but significant carry-over effects of nano-TiO2 and low pH were still observed. This study demonstrated that both low pH and high concentration of nano-TiO2 had negative effects on mussels, and these effects still acted for some time even though the mussels were already out of such stressors.
ISSN:0166-445X
1879-1514
DOI:10.1016/j.aquatox.2016.09.008