The effects of CdSe/ZnS quantum dots on autofluorescence properties and growth of algae Desmodesmus communis : dependence on cultivation medium

The discovery and development of quantum dots (QDs), which are tiny luminescent nanoparticles (NPs), was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2023, highlighting the prospects of their technological applications. However, it is still not very well known how such NPs could affect aquatic ecosystems, especially given that natural conditions are varied and unpredictable. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the influence of natural and artificial aqueous media on the interaction of CdSe/ZnS–COOH QDs with Desmodesmus communis algae using fast non-invasive optical methods. The cumulative short-term effects of QDs on algae growth and population structure were evaluated and changes in the photosynthetic activity of green algae were demonstrated using pulse-amplitude modulated (PAM) fluorometry. The present study demonstrated that natural and artificial cultivation media had different effects on the growth pattern, physiological processes and photoadaptation properties of algae as well as altering their responses to core/shell QDs. Thus, to fully assess the environmental risk of NPs, it is necessary to evaluate the simultaneous interactions of NPs with abiotic and biotic factors using a combination of physico-optical and ecotoxicological tools.