Uptake and Distribution of Ultrasmall Anatase TiO2Alizarin Red S Nanoconjugates inArabidopsis thaliana

Abstract

While few publications have documented the uptake of nanoparticles in plants, this is the first study describing uptake and distribution of the ultrasmall anatase TiO₂ in the plant model system Arabidopsis. We modified the nanoparticle surface with Alizarin red S and sucrose and demonstrated that nanoconjugates traversed cell walls, entered into plant cells, and accumulated in specific subcellular locations. Optical and X-ray fluorescence microscopy coregistered the nanoconjugates in cell vacuoles and nuclei.