Toxicity Assessment of Colloidal Nanofertilizers Using Zebrafish Embryo Model through Acute Toxicity Assay

Abstract

Chemical fertilizers are used in large quantities to boost the plant's development. Approximately 90 % of the fertilizer used is lost due to runoff and other processes, resulting in surface and groundwater contamination downstream. Nanofertilizers are believed to be more ecologically friendly and effective when used in small quantities. The use of nanomaterials in agriculture is not always successful. Nanoparticles may readily be discharged into water or the air, where they are ingested by living creatures, causing toxicity in humans, animals, and aquatic life. The aquatic environment has been contaminated with fertilizer runoff, which has been found to have fatal and sublethal impacts on aquatic species. In this work, the harmful effects of NPK-nanofertilizers were determined using the zebrafish embryo toxicity test (ZFET). To summarize, all nanofertilizers were dissolved in deionized water and diluted into concentration ranges in embryo medium. The toxicity of the fertilizer sample was next assessed on the early development of zebrafish embryos from 24 hours post-exposure (hpe) to 120 hpe. The survival rate, LC50, hatching rate, heart rate, and teratogenicity were all assessed. Toxicity of nanofertilizers T1, T2, and T3 to zebrafish embryos was moderate, with LC50 values of 45.7, 38.56, and 19.52 mM, respectively. While no teratogenic defect was seen in embryos treated with the respective samples from 0 hpe to 120 hpe, there was no teratogenic defect observed in the embryos treated with the respective samples from 0 hpe to 120 hpe. The larval heartbeat and hatching rate are unaffected by the nanofertilizer samples. As a result, the current study lays the groundwork for understanding the developmental toxicity of nanofertilizers in zebrafish embryos. Because little is known about the harmful effects of nanofertilizers on aquatic vertebrate species, this knowledge is essential for future research evaluating aquatic risk from nanofertilizers.