241
prevented root length of Lactuca sativa and Lolium sp. but had no significant effect
on Cucumis sativus (Lin and Xing 2007; Miralles et al. 2012).
The study of nanoparticles behavior at different sizes and different concentrations in soil, water, and the plants is necessary to understand their agro-ecological
toxicity. In animals, nanoparticles such as Ag nanoparticles can enter the cell
through endocytosis or diffusion. Furthermore, these nanoparticles can affect
mucous proteins function and cause mitochondrial disruption, DNA damage, and
chromosome disorders. Consistently, other effects such as mucosal diseases, inhibition of antioxidant enzymes, oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis (programmed cell death) are also being observed (Thulasi et al. 2013; Karimi et al. 2018).
The entrance of nanoparticles to the aquatic ecosystems has tremendous effects
on the environment and organisms. The fish are good indicators of environmental
health. Based on available reports, fish and daphnids are among the most sensitive
aquatic animals to nanoparticles (Asghar et al. 2015). In general, nanoparticle toxicity is mostly reported in the primary stages of fish life. Poor data are available on the
effect of nanoparticles on the physiologic behavior of aquatic organisms. Fish skin
and gills are the most reported sites for nanoparticles negative effects, while histopathological changes in the intestine, liver, and kidney, as well as the accumulation
of nanoparticles in tissues, are being discovered. ROS production, inflammation,
oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation, cell and vascular damage, alteration of enzymes
activity, the fish larval abnormalities and hatching retardation, morphological
changes of tissues and tumor formation, and growth have been observed in various
fishes such as rainbow trout, catfish, and zebrafish (Karimi et al. 2018; Cushen et al.
2012; Asghar et al. 2015; Zhu et al. 2012).
9.8 Conclusions and Outlooks
Although the incorporation of nanotechnology in the industries is a significant step
toward the human civilization glow, we should not underestimate the effect of a
huge amount of unsafe manufactured nanomaterials in the terrestrial and aquatic
food chain. Therefore, it is necessary to gather and evaluate baseline information on
engineered nanoparticle hazard assessment and also it is crucial to unravel the biological outcomes of nanoparticle consumption. To achieve these aims, we can apply
computer networks for classifying and hazard ranking of nanomaterials. However,
legislative agencies face challenges for publishing worldwide accepted rules or
guidelines for the assessment of nanoparticle hazards and potential risks on the food
chain. Detection, quantification, and the precise analysis of different nanomaterials
in foods and their environments along with the long-term biokinetics information in
a human model are the most shackles in this road.
9 Impact of Nanomaterials on the Food Chain
prevented root length of Lactuca sativa and Lolium sp. but had no significant effect
on Cucumis sativus (Lin and Xing 2007; Miralles et al. 2012).
The study of nanoparticles behavior at different sizes and different concentrations in soil, water, and the plants is necessary to understand their agro-ecological
toxicity. In animals, nanoparticles such as Ag nanoparticles can enter the cell
through endocytosis or diffusion. Furthermore, these nanoparticles can affect
mucous proteins function and cause mitochondrial disruption, DNA damage, and
chromosome disorders. Consistently, other effects such as mucosal diseases, inhibition of antioxidant enzymes, oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis (programmed cell death) are also being observed (Thulasi et al. 2013; Karimi et al. 2018).
The entrance of nanoparticles to the aquatic ecosystems has tremendous effects
on the environment and organisms. The fish are good indicators of environmental
health. Based on available reports, fish and daphnids are among the most sensitive
aquatic animals to nanoparticles (Asghar et al. 2015). In general, nanoparticle toxicity is mostly reported in the primary stages of fish life. Poor data are available on the
effect of nanoparticles on the physiologic behavior of aquatic organisms. Fish skin
and gills are the most reported sites for nanoparticles negative effects, while histopathological changes in the intestine, liver, and kidney, as well as the accumulation
of nanoparticles in tissues, are being discovered. ROS production, inflammation,
oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation, cell and vascular damage, alteration of enzymes
activity, the fish larval abnormalities and hatching retardation, morphological
changes of tissues and tumor formation, and growth have been observed in various
fishes such as rainbow trout, catfish, and zebrafish (Karimi et al. 2018; Cushen et al.
2012; Asghar et al. 2015; Zhu et al. 2012).
9.8 Conclusions and Outlooks
Although the incorporation of nanotechnology in the industries is a significant step
toward the human civilization glow, we should not underestimate the effect of a
huge amount of unsafe manufactured nanomaterials in the terrestrial and aquatic
food chain. Therefore, it is necessary to gather and evaluate baseline information on
engineered nanoparticle hazard assessment and also it is crucial to unravel the biological outcomes of nanoparticle consumption. To achieve these aims, we can apply
computer networks for classifying and hazard ranking of nanomaterials. However,
legislative agencies face challenges for publishing worldwide accepted rules or
guidelines for the assessment of nanoparticle hazards and potential risks on the food
chain. Detection, quantification, and the precise analysis of different nanomaterials
in foods and their environments along with the long-term biokinetics information in
a human model are the most shackles in this road.
9 Impact of Nanomaterials on the Food Chain