Mixture toxicity of TiO2 NPs and tetracycline at two trophic levels in the marine ecosystem: Chlorella sp. and Artemia salina

Increasing usage of both nanomaterials and pharmaceuticals and their unabated release to the marine ecosystem pose a serious concern nowadays. The toxicity of the mixture of TiO2 NPs and tetracycline (TC) in the marine species are not very well covered in prior literature. The current study explores the joint toxic effects of TiO2 NPs and TC in a simulated marine food chain: Chlorella sp. and Artemia salina. Chlorella sp. was interacted with pristine TiO2 NPs (0.05, 05, and 5 mg/L), TC (0.5 mg/L), and their combinations for 48 h. The toxicity induced in Chlorella sp. by pristine TiO2 NPs through oxidative stress and chloroplast damage was not significantly changed in the presence of TC. Principal component analysis for the toxicity parameters revealed a strong association between growth inhibition and adsorption/internalization. In the second trophic level (A. salina), the waterborne exposure of TC additively increased the toxicity of TiO2 NPs. Both adsorption and degradation played a major role in the removal of TC from the suspension, resulting in additive toxic effects in both Chlorella sp. and A. salina. Compared to the waterborne exposure, the foodborne exposure of TiO2 NPs and TC induced lesser toxic effects owing to reduced uptake and accumulation in A. salina. Biomagnification results indicate that the dietary transfer of TiO2 NPs and TC does not pose a serious environmental threat in this two-level marine food chain.