Sukriti Suman, Divya Prasad & Gyanendra B. Chand*
Aquatic Toxicology Laboratory, P.G. Department of Zoology, Patna University, Patna, Bihar, India
Received : 28th November, 2023 ; Revised : 4th January, 2024
DOI:-https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14076737
Abstract– Silica nanoparticles (SiO2NPs) are primarily made up of silicon dioxide and the size lies in the range of 1-100 nm. These nanoparticles have wide range of applications in nearly every domain because of their unique properties. However, their release in the environment and subsequent implications on aquatic organisms and human beings, is a matter of growing concern. The present study focuses on the assessment of acute toxicity of silica nanoparticles on a most commonly used piscine model, the spotted snakehead Channa punctatus (Bloch.). The study also incorporates the behavioural responses of the fish against different concentrations of SiO2NPs. Medial Lethal Concentration, LC50, was calculated by probit regression method and confirmed by pilot test. Healthy air-breathing fish, Channa punctatus, weighing 20-25 grams and length 10-15 cm were procured from Bazar Samiti, Patna, Bihar, and brought to the Aquatic Toxicology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Patna University, Patna. They were disinfected with 0.01% KMnO4 solution and acclimatized in ideal laboratory conditions for 15 days. They were fed at libitum. The physico-chemical analysis of water was done as per the standard methods of APHA (2023). Fishes were exposed to different concentrations of SiO2NPs under controlled laboratory conditions and mortality rates were recorded after 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours, and 96 hours. The behavioural responses including swimming activity, gulping of air, opercula beat, secretion of mucus and equilibrium were also recorded. Abnormal behavioural responses including erratic swimming, air gulping, opercula beat, mucus secretion and loss of equilibrium became more pronounced with the increasing dose and duration of exposure of SiO2NPs. The results of the present study reflect on the escalating toxicity and cumulative impact of nanoparticles exposure in aquatic organism. It will help in the assessment of environmental risk and the development of regulatory guidelines for nanoparticles exposure. At the same time, it will aid in making strategies for effective management and conservation of the environment.
Key words: Acute toxicity, Behavioural responses, Channa punctatus, Conservation, Environment, LC50, Silica nanoparticles.
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