Metabolite changes behind faster growth and less reproduction of Daphnia similis exposed to low-dose silver nanoparticles

With increasing presence of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) into the environment, the chronic and low-dose effects of AgNPs are of vital concern. This study evaluated chronic physiological effects of AgNPs on Daphnia similis, which were exposed to two ambient encountered concentrations (0.02 and 1 ppb) of AgNPs for 21 days. It was observed that the low-dose AgNPs stimulated a significant increase in average length/dry mass, but inhibited reproduction compared to control specimens. Non-targeted metabolomics based on liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight-mass spectrometry (LC-QTOFMS-MS) and gas chromatograph-quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (GC-QTOF-MS) were utilized to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms of these responses. Forty one metabolites were identified, including 18 significantly-changed metabolites, suggesting up regulation in protein digestion and absorption (amino acids, such as isoleucine, tryptophan, lysine, leucine, valine, aspartic acid, threonine, tyrosine) and down regulation of lipid related metabolism (fatty acids, such as arachidonic acid, stearidonic acid, linoelaidic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid) were key events in these responses. The increase in these amino acid contents explains the accelerated growth of D. similis from the metabolic pathway of aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis. Down regulation of fatty acid contents corresponds to the observed drop in the reproduction rate considering the fatty acid biological enzymatic reaction pathways. Significant changes in metabolites provided a renewed mechanistic understanding of low concentration chronic toxicity of AgNP toxicity on D. similis.