Effects of zinc oxide nanoparticles on photosynthetic pigments, zinc accumulation, and activity of antioxidant enzymes of Dunalilla salina

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NP) are widely used in various industries. Their release into the aquatic environment has caused concerns about their potential consequences on aquatic organisms and ultimately human health. In the food chain, algae as primary organisms play an important role in absorbing water-soluble particles and transporting them to high nutritional levels. In this study, we investigated the effect of different concentrations (0, 0.1, 1, and 10 mg/L; T0, T0.1, T1 and T10 respectively) of ZnO-NP on photosynthetic factors, zinc accumulation, and antioxidant enzymes of Dunaliella salina. By the increased concentration of ZnO-NP in the algae medium, the amount of zinc accumulation in the algae upraised, so that, the highest amount of zinc was significantly observed in T10 mg/L (p