Oxidative stress and genotoxic effect of zinc oxide nanoparticles in freshwater snail Lymnaea luteola L.

Understanding the toxic effects of nanoparticles on aquatic organism is the biggest obstacle to the safe development of nanotechnology. However, little is known about the toxic mechanisms of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) in freshwater snail Lymnaea luteola (L. luteola). This study was designed to investigate the possible mechanisms of genotoxicity induced by ZnONPs in freshwater snail L. luteola. ZnONPs (32 μg/ml) elicited a significant (p < 0.01) reduction in glutathione (42.10% and 61.40%), glutathione-S-transferase (25.60% and 40.24%) and glutathione peroxidase (21.73% and 39.13%) with a concomitant increase in malondialdehyde level (54.50% and 57.14%; p < 0.01) and catalase (34.88% and 52.56%; p < 0.01) in digestive gland of L. luteola after 24 and 96 h exposure, respectively. However, a statistically significant (p < 0.01) induction in DNA damage was observed by the comet assay in digestive gland cells treated with ZnONPs for 24 and 96 h. Thus, the results demonstrate that ZnONPs induce genotoxicity in digestive gland cells through oxidative stress. Freshwater snail L. luteola may be used as suitable test model for nanoecotoxicological studies in future.

► The effect of ZnONPs (10, 21 and 32 mg/l) on the freshwater snail L. luteola for 24 h and 96 h was studied. ► ZnONPs exposure induced the generation of reactive oxygen species, oxidative stress and DNA damage in digestive gland of freshwater snail L. luteola. ► Freshwater snail L. luteola may be used as suitable test model for nanoecotoxicological studies in future.