World Journal of
Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences

PERSISTENT TOXIC EFFECTS OF TITANIUM DIOXIDE NANOPARTICLES AFTER TREATMENT WITHDRAWAL IN THE FRESHWATER FISH, OREOCHROMIS MOSSAMBICUS (PETERS, 1852)

Puthan Variyam Vidya and Kumari Chidambaran Chitra*

ABSTRACT

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2-NPs) were produced abundantly and possess widespread applications from commercial products to industrial photocatalytic processes. Hence, probably nanoparticles enter into aquatic environment where its exposure, fate and ecotoxicity are of growing concern. The present study was focused to address the sublethal (16.4 mg/L) effects of TiO2-NPs in gill, liver and brain of the fish, Oreochromis mossambicus when exposed for short-term (24, 72 and 96 h) and long-term (15, 30 and 60 days) durations. Gill tissue showed significant (P<0.05) increase in the activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase, while the activities of glutathione reductase and glutathione peroxidase decreased significantly (P<0.05) with concomitant increase in the levels of hydrogen peroxide generation and lipid peroxidation. Liver tissue showed alteration in the antioxidant defense system, which is evident by the increase in levels of hydrogen peroxide and lipid peroxidation. Brain tissue also showed significant reduction in the activities of all antioxidant enzymes and induction of lipid peroxidation in short-term and long-term exposure groups. The activity of marker enzyme, alkaline phosphatase in gill and liver, and acetylcholinesterase activity in brain tissue showed significant reduction after exposure to TiO2-NPs. The present results suggest the induction of oxidative stress in gill, liver and brain tissues after exposure to the nanoparticles. Treatment withdrawal for 60 days showed similar results like the treatment groups. Briefly to conclude, sublethal toxicity of titanium dioxide nanoparticles involves oxidative stress causing persistent toxic effects in gill, liver and brain tissues of the freshwater fish, Oreochromis mossambicus.

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