Abstract
Graphene oxide (GO) and silver-graphene oxide (Ag-GO) are used in various fields, such as biotechnology and environmental engineering, due to their unique material properties, including hydrophilicity, high surface area, mechanical strength, and antibacterial activity. With the increase in the usage of such nanomaterials, they are likely to enter the aquatic environment during the manufacturing process, product use, and disposal. However, the effects of GO and Ag-GO on aquatic microbial activities are not well understood. In this study, we aimed to determine the effects of GO and Ag-GO on the aquatic microbial communities inhabiting a river and a lake located in Seoul, South Korea. Unfiltered natural surface water samples were exposed to GO and Ag-GO at a final concentration of 10 to 100 mg L−1 for 48 h. The activity of leucine aminopeptidase was significantly lowered within 1 h of GO and Ag-GO treatments and nitrification rate was significantly lowered. An increase in intracellular lactate dehydrogenase levels of up to 5% was observed in natural waters under GO and Ag-GO treatments compared to the control (0%), indicating cell membrane damage. In addition, generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species increased up to 184% under 100 mg GO L−1 and 102% under 100 mg Ag-GO L−1 treatment compared to the control (0%). Our results indicate that the activities of microorganisms inhabiting natural surface waters may have been inhibited by oxidative stress and cell membrane damage induced by GO and Ag-GO. We believe that our results may contribute to the development of regulatory guidelines on the release of emerging engineered nanomaterials to the environment.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1087-1095 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Science of the Total Environment |
| Volume | 651 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2019 Feb 15 |
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Keywords
- Ag-GO
- Enzyme activity
- Exposure test
- GO
- Natural surface water
- Nitrification rate
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Environmental Engineering
- Environmental Chemistry
- Waste Management and Disposal
- Pollution
Cite this
Effects of graphene oxides and silver-graphene oxides on aquatic microbial activity. / Ko, Kwanyoung; Kim, Min Ji; Lee, Ji Yeon; Kim, Woong; Chung, Haegeun.
In: Science of the Total Environment, Vol. 651, 15.02.2019, p. 1087-1095.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Effects of graphene oxides and silver-graphene oxides on aquatic microbial activity
AU - Ko, Kwanyoung
AU - Kim, Min Ji
AU - Lee, Ji Yeon
AU - Kim, Woong
AU - Chung, Haegeun
PY - 2019/2/15
Y1 - 2019/2/15
N2 - Graphene oxide (GO) and silver-graphene oxide (Ag-GO) are used in various fields, such as biotechnology and environmental engineering, due to their unique material properties, including hydrophilicity, high surface area, mechanical strength, and antibacterial activity. With the increase in the usage of such nanomaterials, they are likely to enter the aquatic environment during the manufacturing process, product use, and disposal. However, the effects of GO and Ag-GO on aquatic microbial activities are not well understood. In this study, we aimed to determine the effects of GO and Ag-GO on the aquatic microbial communities inhabiting a river and a lake located in Seoul, South Korea. Unfiltered natural surface water samples were exposed to GO and Ag-GO at a final concentration of 10 to 100 mg L−1 for 48 h. The activity of leucine aminopeptidase was significantly lowered within 1 h of GO and Ag-GO treatments and nitrification rate was significantly lowered. An increase in intracellular lactate dehydrogenase levels of up to 5% was observed in natural waters under GO and Ag-GO treatments compared to the control (0%), indicating cell membrane damage. In addition, generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species increased up to 184% under 100 mg GO L−1 and 102% under 100 mg Ag-GO L−1 treatment compared to the control (0%). Our results indicate that the activities of microorganisms inhabiting natural surface waters may have been inhibited by oxidative stress and cell membrane damage induced by GO and Ag-GO. We believe that our results may contribute to the development of regulatory guidelines on the release of emerging engineered nanomaterials to the environment.
AB - Graphene oxide (GO) and silver-graphene oxide (Ag-GO) are used in various fields, such as biotechnology and environmental engineering, due to their unique material properties, including hydrophilicity, high surface area, mechanical strength, and antibacterial activity. With the increase in the usage of such nanomaterials, they are likely to enter the aquatic environment during the manufacturing process, product use, and disposal. However, the effects of GO and Ag-GO on aquatic microbial activities are not well understood. In this study, we aimed to determine the effects of GO and Ag-GO on the aquatic microbial communities inhabiting a river and a lake located in Seoul, South Korea. Unfiltered natural surface water samples were exposed to GO and Ag-GO at a final concentration of 10 to 100 mg L−1 for 48 h. The activity of leucine aminopeptidase was significantly lowered within 1 h of GO and Ag-GO treatments and nitrification rate was significantly lowered. An increase in intracellular lactate dehydrogenase levels of up to 5% was observed in natural waters under GO and Ag-GO treatments compared to the control (0%), indicating cell membrane damage. In addition, generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species increased up to 184% under 100 mg GO L−1 and 102% under 100 mg Ag-GO L−1 treatment compared to the control (0%). Our results indicate that the activities of microorganisms inhabiting natural surface waters may have been inhibited by oxidative stress and cell membrane damage induced by GO and Ag-GO. We believe that our results may contribute to the development of regulatory guidelines on the release of emerging engineered nanomaterials to the environment.
KW - Ag-GO
KW - Enzyme activity
KW - Exposure test
KW - GO
KW - Natural surface water
KW - Nitrification rate
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85053766662&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.09.124
DO - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.09.124
M3 - Article
VL - 651
SP - 1087
EP - 1095
JO - Science of the Total Environment
JF - Science of the Total Environment
SN - 0048-9697
ER -