Silver nanoparticle toxicity on Artemia parthenogenetica nauplii hatched on axenic tryptic soy agar solid medium

The use of gnobiotic brine shrimp ( Artemia spp.) for ecotoxicology and bacteria-host interaction studies is common. However, requirements for axenic culture and matrix effects of seawater media can be an obstacle. Thus, we investigated the hatching ability of Artemia cysts on a novel sterile Tryptic Soy Agar (TSA) medium. We further optimized the culture conditions for temperature and salinity and assessed this culture system for toxicity screening of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) across multiple biological endpoints. Maximal hatching of embryos occurred at 28°C and without addition of sodium chloride. When capsulated cysts were cultured on TSA solid medium Artemia were negatively impacted by AgNPs at 30–50 mgL -1 in terms of embryo hatching rate, umbrella- to nauplii-stage transformation rate, and nauplii-stage growth. At 50–100 mgL -1 AgNPs and higher, evidence of damage to lysosomal storage was recorded. At 500 mgL -1 AgNPs, development of the eye was inhibited and locomotory behavior impeded. Our study reveals that Artemia cysts can hatch on TSA solid medium which offers more controllability of axenic requirements.