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Updated: Apr 6, 2026
Salinity-dependent Toxicity Assay of Silver Nanocolloids Using Medaka Eggs
Published on: March 18, 2016
Size-dependent toxicity of silver nanoparticles to Glyptotendipes tokunagai
Seona Choi1, Soyoun Kim1, Yeon-Jae Bae1
1Division of Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, Korea.
Objectives:
This study aims to evaluate the size-dependent toxicity of spherical silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) to an endemic benthic organism, Glyptotendipes tokunagai.
Methods:
Ag nanoparticles of three nominal sizes (50, 100, and 150 nm) capped with polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP-Ag NPs) were used. Their physicochemical properties, acute toxicity (48 hours), and bioaccumulation were measured using third instar larvae of G. tokunagai.
Results:
The aggregation and dissolution of PVP-Ag NPs increased with exposure time and concentration, respectively, particularly for 50 nm PVP-Ag NPs. However, the dissolved concentration of Ag ions was not significant compared with the median lethal concentration value for AgNO3 (3.51 mg/L). The acute toxicity of PVP-Ag NPs was highest for the smallest particles (50 nm), whereas bioaccumulation was greatest for the largest particles (150 nm). However, larger PVP-Ag NPs were absorbed and excreted rapidly, resulting in shorter stays in G. tokunagai than the smaller ones.
Conclusions:
The size of PVP-Ag NPs significantly affects their acute toxicity to G. tokunagai. In particular, smaller PVP-Ag NPs have a higher solubility and stay longer in the body of G. tokunagai, resulting in higher toxicity than larger PVP-Ag NPs.
