Chemometrics Expertise in the Links Between Ecotoxicity and Physicochemical Features of Silver Nanoparticles: Environmental Aspects

Studies of the ecotoxicological aspects of nanomaterials in aquatic environments are scarce. Given the growing variety of nanoparticles (NPs), along with the diversity of aquatic species and environments, the key to promoting sound risk assessment in nanoecotoxicology is understanding the mechanisms that govern the fate of NPs in aquatic environments and their behavior at the NP-biota interface. In this paper, data collected from the literature on ecotoxicological effects observed in aquatic species is discussed and analyzed using multivariate statistics techniques. We expand the knowledge of the environmental impact of silver NPs (AgNPs) by testing the acute toxicity of 47 AgNPs on crustacean eukaryotic organisms (Daphnia magna, Thamnocephalus platyurus, and D. galeata). Physicochemical properties, stabilization agents, toxicological end points, and test media were monitored as adding-outcome factors for the evaluation of environmental effects due to exposure to NPs. The chemometrics expertise performed by the use of hierarchical and nonhierarchical cluster analysis and principal component analysis revealed specific links between the ecotoxicology and the physicochemical features of NPs and helped in creating specific patterns of NPs discriminated by ecotoxicity levels and physicochemical parameters