Bioaccumulation, depuration and transfer to offspring of 13C-labeled fullerenols by Daphnia magna.

Fullerenols have wide application in the field of life sciences as a result of their extensive biocompatibility and biofunctionality. However, their environmental fate and ecotoxicological risks are largely unknown. In this study, stable isotope (C-13) labeling was applied to investigate the bioaccumulation and depuration of fullerenols in Daphnia magna. By incorporation of C-13 on the skeleton of fullerenols, the concentrations of fullerenols in the samples could be precisely determined on the basis of carbon isotope ratios (C-13/C-12). After exposure to C-13-labeled fullerenols in artificial freshwater for 48 h, the steady concentrations of fullerenols in D. magna were nearly 0.39 and 1.37% of the dry body weight in the 0.1 and 1.0 mg/L exposure groups, respectively. After 48 h of :depuration; D: magna could excrete 97.34 and 89.56% of the accumulated fullerenols in 0.1 and 1.0 mg/L exposure group, respectively. The depuration of fullerenols from D. magna followed first-order kinetics. Moreover, accumulated fullerenols in gravid D. magna could be transferred to the next generation of neonates. The results in present study demonstrated that,stable isotope (C-13) labeling is a powerful tool to investigate the,environmental fate and the potential impacts of fullerenols in ecological systems.