Uptake, Accumulation, and Transformation of Metal-based Nanoparticles in Plants: Interaction of Nanoparticles with Environmental Pollutants

In recent years, the widespread use of nanomaterials in different fields like agriculture, engineering, and industry has caused the presence of engineered nanoparticles (NPs) in the environment. Released NPs can be accumulated in soil and taken up by edible plants. They can undergo different transformations, toxic or not, and potentially enter the human organism in their final form. The most important research carried out in nanotechnology during the last decade about the fate of NPs after their release into the environment is presented. An overview of the development of analytical methodology in studying the uptake, accumulation, and transformation of metal-based NPs in plants is given. The proposed analytical procedures allow for tracking the fate of the studied NPs, from the cultivation process to their accumulation and translocation within plant tissues. Additionally, information about the interaction of nanoparticles with environmental pollutants is presented.