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Phytotoxicity of VO 2 nanoparticles with different sizes to pea seedlings.

Authors :: Li Q
Hu R
Chen Z
Chen L
Zhang J
Wu X
Li JB
Gao Y
Yang ST
Wang H
Source :: Ecotoxicology and environmental safety [Ecotoxicol Environ Saf] 2022 Sep 01; Vol. 242, pp. 113885. Date of Electronic Publication: 2022 Jul 15.
Publication Year :: 2022
Abstract: Vanadium dioxide nanoparticles (VO <subscript>2</subscript> NPs) have been massively produced due to their excellent metal-insulator transition characteristics for various applications. Pilot studies indicated the toxicity of VO <subscript>2</subscript> NPs to bacteria and mammalian cells, but the environmental hazards of VO <subscript>2</subscript> NPs to plants have been unrevealed to date. In this study, we reported the inhibitive effects of VO <subscript>2</subscript> NPs to the growth and photosynthesis of pea seedlings. Laboratory synthesized monoclinic VO <subscript>2</subscript> NPs (N-VO <subscript>2</subscript> ), commercial nanosized VO <subscript>2</subscript> NPs (S-VO <subscript>2</subscript> ), and commercial microsized VO <subscript>2</subscript> particles (M-VO <subscript>2</subscript> ) were carefully characterized for environmental toxicity evaluations. VO <subscript>2</subscript> particles were supplemented to culture medium for seed germination and seedling growth. All three VO <subscript>2</subscript> samples did not affect the germination rates of pee seeds, while serious growth inhibition of pea seedlings was observed at 10 mg/L for S-VO <subscript>2</subscript> and N-VO <subscript>2</subscript> , and 100 mg/L for M-VO <subscript>2</subscript> . VO <subscript>2</subscript> particles had no impact on the chlorophyll contents, but the photosynthesis of leaf was significantly decreased following the consequence of N-VO <subscript>2</subscript> > S-VO <subscript>2</subscript> > M-VO <subscript>2</subscript> . The inhibition of photosynthesis was attributed to the damage of acceptor side of photosystem II by VO <subscript>2</subscript> particles at high concentrations. Abundant bioaccumulations of vanadium in roots aroused oxidative damage and changed the root structure. Our results collectively indicated that the phytotoxicity of VO <subscript>2</subscript> NPs was related to the concentration, size and crystalline degree.<br /> (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)