Nanoparticle uptake by plants - NanoWerk, USA
Very few studies have been conducted to assess the toxicity of nanomaterials to ecological terrestrial species, particularly plants. So far, the mechanisms of nanoparticle phytotoxicity – the ability to cause injury to plants – remain largely unknown and little information on the potential uptake of nanoparticles by plants and their subsequent fate within the food chain is available.
Future studies need to be directed into the underlying biochemical mechanism of phytotoxicity, for example, how would nanoparticles damage plant cells? What is the interaction between nanoparticles and cell organelles? If and how nanoparticles can be transported within plant? Can nanoparticles transport to flowers and seeds?