Toxicity of various silver nanoparticles compared to silver ions in the Ponto-Caspian amphipod Pontogammarus maeoticus (Sowinsky, 1894)

According to the increased probability of the presence of nanomaterials in the aquatic ecosystems, the present study examined the toxicity of three engineered silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) as well as silver ions in the Pontogammarus maeoticus, a brackish water benthic organism living in the littoral zone of the Caspian Sea. The animals were acutely exposed to different concentrations of two commercially prepared colloidal forms and a freshly prepared suspension of silver nanoparticles, plus AgNO3 during 48 hr. The number of mortalities was assessed and lethal concentration values ​​were calculated using the EPA Probit Analysis Program. According to median lethal concentrations (LC50), the order of sensitivity of this amphipod to tested silver compounds was as: previously prepared AgNPs colloids > freshly prepared AgNPs suspension > AgNO3. Also the signs of nanoparticle accumulation were evident between the pereopods and pleopods of this gammarid; this accumulation could be one of the reasons for the higher toxicity of silver nanoparticles in comparison with silver ions in P. maeoticus. More acute and chronic studies are needed to understand the various aspects of nano-silver toxicity on amphipods in different salinities.