Genetic damage induction in freshwater mussel Anodonta cygnea under zinc oxide nanoparticles

Considering the wide biological application of zinc nanoparticles during the recent years, serious concerns have been emerged about the effects of these materials on environmental health. In the present study, the genotoxic potential of zinc oxide nanoparticles were investigated in the mussel Anodonta cygne as an ecologically important species. For this, the mussels were exposed to 0, 2.5, 25 and 50 mg L-1 zinc oxide nanoparticles during 14 days. To assess the DNA damage through single cell gel electrophoresis, sampling was done from the gill and hepatopancreas tissues on the 7th and 14th days of exposure. Micronucleus assay was also done using the gill tissue on the 7th and 14th days and the micronuclei frequency was determined. According to the results, exposure to zinc oxide nanoparticles led to the micronuclei induction and DNA damage in A. cygnea so that the micronuclei frequency and the values of the parameters of tail length, moment and DNA percentage as well as the genetic damage index increased in all treatments exposed to zinc oxide nanoparticles as compared to the control. An increasing trend in the induced damage was also observed with the increase in exposure concentration and time. In comparing the investigated tissues, the hepatopancreas tissue exhibited more sensitivity to the genotoxicity of zinc oxide nanoparticles. According to the results from the present study, it could be stated that zinc oxide nanoparticles have potential genotoxic effects on the mussel A. cygnea.