Binding of silver nanowaste using jellyfish immune reaction extract and an assessment of aquatic toxicity

Background: Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have various industrial applications; however, when released into wastewater, AgNPs have significant effects on aquatic ecosystems. Objective: Silver nanowaste materials in aquatic ecosystems could be conjugated and removed using jellyfish immune reaction extract (JEIs). In this study, we investigate the biological effects of JEIs and JEIs with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on zebrafish embryogenesis and aquatic bacteria. JEIs were extracted using two methods, a previously established method (AJEI) and the new JEI extraction method (BJEI). Results: BJEI bound 96.64% (2 mg/L) of nano-Ag-citrate (AgN-Citrate) and 96.17% of nano-Ag-polyvinyl-pyrrolidone (AgN-PVP) 1 h following exposure, and significantly reduced the toxic effect of AgNPs on zebrafish embryos to a greater extent than AJEI, extracted using the previous method. However, upon exposure to BJEI, the number of viable aquatic bacteria was reduced owing to the antibacterial effects of JEI. Conclusion: JEIs captured Ag-citrate NPs and AgN-PVP and reduced their nano-toxicity. The BJEI extraction method resulted in lower toxicity for zebrafish embryogenesis, as copmared to that with AJEI. JEI has antibacterial effects; however, information on the specific targets of the antibacterial materials is scarce. JEI did not accumulate or persist since it is a reaction material from the jellyfish and degraded in aquatic environments. Therefore, BJEI can be a promising material for removing AgNPs from aquatic ecosystems.