The effects of ingested nano-sized titanium dioxide (TiO2; anatase, 15 nm) on the terrestrial isopod Porcellio scaber (Isopoda, Crustacea) after short-term (3-d) dietary exposure were studied. Activities of antioxidant enzymes, such as catalase (CAT) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST), in digestive glands were affected in a dose-independent manner, but higher-level isopod endpoints, including weight change, feeding rate, food assimilation efficiency, and survival, were not affected up to the highest tested concentration of TiO2 in food (3,000 mu g/g).
COBISS.SI-ID: 3900698
A single-species laboratory test with terrestrial invertebrates was used to identify the hazard of nanosized TiO2. Feeding parameters, weight change, mortality, and the activities of catalase and glutathione-S-transferase were evaluated. The effects of nano-TiO2 were dependent on exposure concentration and duration, total consumed quantity, size and pre-treatment of particles.
COBISS.SI-ID: 5763705
We adapted the widely used acridine orange/ethidium bromide (AO/EB) assay to be applicable for cell membrane stability assessment of entire organ where the animal was exposed in vivo. The digestive glands (hepatopancreas) of a well known group of terrestrial invertebrates, terrestrial isopods were taken as a model test system. The assay was validated with Cu(NO3)2 and surfactants. The results showed that all tested nanoparticles, i.e. nanosized TiO2, nanosized ZnO and fullerenes (C60) have cell membrane destabilization potential. As expected, C60 is the most biologically potent.
COBISS.SI-ID: 6013049
The results of the paper show that the epithelia thickness is an indication of a physiological state of an organism and is not related to the daily cycle of the organism as previously thought. Animals under a stress have thin epithelium while those in a good physiological condition have thick epithelium with abundant lipid droplets in epithelial cells. The major contribution of this work is a description of a new biomarker of stress which links responses at subcellular level to physiological responses.
COBISS.SI-ID: 5595769
The paper presents sample preparation for scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of biological smples. The use of SEM for biological samples is possible only if samples are conductive. A lot of procedures exist which make sample conductivity to enable investigation also at higher magnifications and do not compromise the sample surface. In the work presented in this paper the OTOTO conductive staining proved to be best preparation method. It introduces a substantial amount of osmium into the sample. This method also allows investigation of subcellular structures when exposed by focused ion beam.
COBISS.SI-ID: 5833081