Zhiling Guo

• PhD
• Assistant Professor at University of Birmingham

Challenges in characterizing and quantifying nanoplastics within the human body hinder understanding of their transport, biotransformation, and potential for cellular penetration and barrier crossing. By implementing an innovative analytical workflow, including incorporation of gadolinium (Gd) as a tracer into the polymer matrix of nanoplastics, th...

A biomolecular coating, or biocorona, forms on the surface of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) immediately as they enter biological or environmental systems, defining their biological and environmental identity and influencing their fate and performance. This biomolecular layer includes proteins (the protein corona) and other biomolecules, such as n...

Research on plant-nanomaterial interactions has greatly advanced over the past decade. One particularly fascinating discovery encompasses the immunomodulatory effects in plants. Due to the low doses needed and the comparatively low toxicity of many nanomaterials, nanoenabled immunomodulation is environmentally and economically promising for agricul...

Exploring the influence of soil on antimony (Sb) aging could help predict Sb toxicity on nematodes that play an important role in agricultural soil nitrogen cycling. This study aimed to investigate the major soil factors affecting the aging process and toxicity of exogenous Sb. Therefore, nematodes were exposed to varying levels of Sb contamination...

Molybdenum disulfide (nano-MoS2) nanomaterials have shown great potential for biomedical and catalytic applications due to their unique enzyme-mimicking properties. However, their potential agricultural applications have been largely unexplored. A key factor prior to the application of nano-MoS2 in agriculture is understanding its behavior in a com...

The global concern over ecological contamination from microplastics (MPs) and heavy metals prompts apprehensions about environmental integrity and human well-being. Yet, the co-exposure of MPs and toxic metals in the...

The use of nanotechnology to pre-treat crop seeds through seed treatments for enhancing their resistance to abiotic stresses is a promising and sustainable approach.

Although Fe/Fe2O3 has potential application compared with nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI), its smooth structure largely limits the catalytic performance. To address this challenge, we innovatively constructed highly efficient composite Fe/Fe2O3@UiO-66 via employing an urchin-like core-shell structure of Fe/Fe2O3 onto UiO-66 through a facile ion e...

Passivation of nanoscale zero valent iron (nZVI, Fe0) impaired its longevity while black TiO2 (b-TiO2) suffered from restricted optical properties. Using a facile approach, a novel Z-scheme heterojunction catalyst (Fe0@CQDs-TiO2(b)) of nZVI decorated with carbon quantum dots (CQDs) implanted into b-TiO2 was designed. Characterization results reveal...

Soybean (Glycine max) is a crop of global significance and has low reliance on N fertilizers due to its biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) capacity, which harvests ambient N2 as a critical ecosystem service. BNF can be severely compromised by abiotic stresses. Enhancing BNF is increasingly important not only to alleviate global food insecurity but...

The tumor microenvironment (TME) is a dynamic and complex system characterized by different cellular, molecular, and physiological heterogeneity. Therefore, conventional drug delivery strategies often failed to deliver an effective dosage to kill cancerous cells. In recent years, the development of nano-based drug delivery has expanded into a wide...

Nickel (Ni) is a trace element beneficial for plant growth and development and could improve crop yield by stimulating urea decomposition and nitrogen-fixing enzyme activity. A full life cycle study was conducted to compare the long-term effects of soil-applied NiO nanoparticles (n-NiO), NiO bulk (b-NiO), and NiSO4 at 10-200 mg kg-1 on plant growth...

The nanomaterial-protein "corona" is a dynamic entity providing a synthetic-natural interface mediating cellular uptake and subcellular distribution of nanomaterials in biological systems. As nanomaterials are central to the safe-by-design of future nanomedi-cines and the practice of nanosafety, understanding and delineating the biological and toxi...

As antimicrobials, graphene materials (GMs) may have advantages over traditional antibiotics due to their physical mechanisms of action which ensure less chance of development of microbial resistance. However, the fundamental question as to whether the antibacterial mechanism of GMs originates from parallel interaction or perpendicular interaction,...

Although both MoS2 and nanoscale zero valent iron have presented bright prospects for environmental remediation. The constrained conductivity of MoS2 and the passivation and aggregation of Fe⁰ still retained challenges. Given this, innovative strategies of activating the passivation layers of Fe⁰ into semiconductors by photocatalysis and constructi...

Microplastics (MPs) have been widely detected in the world's water, which may pose a significant threat to the ecosystem as a whole and have been a subject of much attention because their presence impacts seas, lakes, rivers, and even the Polar Regions. There have been numerous studies that report direct adverse effects on marine organisms, but onl...

The aquatic system is a major sink for engineered nanomaterials released into the environment. Here, we assessed the toxicity of graphene oxide (GO) using the freshwater planarian Dugesia japonica, an invertebrate model that has been widely used for studying the effects of toxins on tissue regeneration and neuronal development. GO not only impaired...

The development of nanotechnology and the widespread application of metal-based nanoparticles (MNPs) in various consumer products have released a large number of nanoparticles into soil environment, especially agricultural systems.

Di-2-Ethylhexyl Phthalate (DEHP) is often used as an additive in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) to give plastics flexibility, which makes DEHP widely used in food packaging, daily necessities, medical equipment, and other products. However, due to the unstable combination of DEHP and polymer, it will migrate to the environment in the materials and eventu...

Nanopollutants are nanoparticles that have escaped into the environment and can include engineered nanoparticles as well as nanoparticles that are products of degradation (e.g. nanoplastics) or other processes. As many of these particles are only recently developed or described there is still a lot to learn about where they come from, where they en...

The smallest fraction of plastic pollution, submicron plastics (SMPs <1 μm) are expected to be ubiquitous in the environment. No information is available about SMPs in peatlands, which have a key role in sequestering carbon in terrestrial ecosystems. It is unknown how these plastic particles might behave and interact with (micro)organisms in these...

Cerium oxide nanoparticles (n-CeO2) have wide applications ranging from industrial to consumer products, which would inevitably lead to their release into the environment. Despite the toxicity of n-CeO2 on aquatic organisms has been largely reported, research on developing organisms is still lacking. In this study, we investigate the toxic effects...

An ultra-high NZVI-loaded PAN film (S-CPN) with a unique 3D honeycomb structure was designed based on the cryogel method of green solvent-induced pores and confinement of the spatially free conformation of films by anchoring carbon nanotubes (CNTs), supplemented sulfidation for removing hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)), and characterized by SEM, AFM, B...

Tumor cell migration is affected by the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). However, the systematic molecular mechanisms underlying AhR-mediated migration of human neuroblastoma cells are not fully understood. To address this issue, we performed an integrative analysis of mRNA and microRNA (miR) expression profiles in human neuroblastoma SK-N-SH cells...

Biochar and zeolite have been demonstrated effective to remove heavy metals in soil; however, the effect of combined application of the both materials on the fraction of Cd and soil-plant system are largely unknown. Cd fractions in soil, growth and Cd uptake of Pak Choi were measured after the combined application of biochar (0, 5, 10 and 20 g·kg⁻¹...

The low yield and active ingredient content of medicinal plants is always a challenge. However, nanotechnology offers new tools for enhancing the biomass and metabolism of medicinal plants. In the present study, the effects of two nanomaterials (NMs) on the growth, photosynthesis, antioxidant system, mineral homeostasis, C/N accumulation, and conte...

To assess the safety of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) and to evaluate and improve ENMs' targeting ability for medical application, it is necessary to analyze the fate of these materials in biological media. This protocol presents a workflow that allows researchers to determine, characterize and quantify metal-bearing ENMs (M-ENMs) in biological t...

Significance This study analyzed the dynamic protein corona on the surface of nanoparticles as they traversed from blood to cell lysosomes and escaped from lysosomes to cytoplasm in the target cells. We found with proteomic analysis an abundance of chaperone and glycolysis coronal proteins (i.e., heat shock cognate protein 70, heat shock protein 90...

The antibacterial activity of graphene family materials (GFMs) has been explored since 2010, 6 years after the discovery of graphene in 2004. It is proposed that the antibacterial activity is derived from both physical interaction and chemical reaction between GFMs and bacteria. However, whether the two mechanisms work synergistically or whether th...

The impact of CeO2 nanoparticles (NPs) on plant physiology and soil microcosm and the underlying mechanism remains unclear to date. This study investigates the effect of CeO2 NPs on plant growth and soil microbial communities in both the rhizosphere of cucumber seedlings and the surrounding bulk soil, with CeCl3 as a comparison to identify the cont...

In order to explore the effects of addition of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) to soil on the nutritional quality and nitrogen assimilation and utilization by Brassica campestris, a pot experiment...

The current debate on hazards associated with sub-micron sized plastics is hampered by a lack of quantitative data on the uptake and biological fate of plastics in organisms. Analytical methods should be developed to identify, characterize, and quantify sub-micron particulate plastic in biota to understand their biological fate in terms of biodistr...

Graphene Based Materials In article 2100637, Guo and co-workers review the surface functionalization of graphene based materials (GBMs) through the lenses of nanotoxicity and safe-by-design, discuss the computational tools that can predict the interaction of GBMs behavior with their toxicity, and provide a concise framing of current knowledge and k...

The increasing exploitation of graphene-based materials (GBMs) is driven by their unique properties and structures, which ignite the imagination of scientists and engineers. At the same time, the very properties that make them so useful for applications lead to growing concerns regarding their potential impacts on human health and environment. Sinc...

The increasing exploitation of graphene-based materials (GBMs) is driven by their unique properties and structures, which ignite the imagination of scientists and engineers. At the same time, the very properties that make them so useful for applications lead to growing concerns regarding their potential impacts on human health and the environment....

Significance Although the brain is protected by a tight physiological guardian named the blood–brain barrier (BBB), deposition of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) in the brain and consequent neurotoxicity has been reported. To date, it is still unclear whether and how ENMs enter the brain by crossing the BBB. In this study, we found that metallic EN...

Climate change, increasing populations, competing demands on land for production of biofuels and declining soil quality are challenging global food security. Finding sustainable solutions requires bold new approaches and integration of knowledge from diverse fields, such as materials science and informatics. The convergence of precision agriculture...

The Association of nanoparticles (NPs) with algae likely plays a critical role in their transfer in aquatic food chains. Although our understanding of the ecotoxicity and fate of NPs in the environment is increasing, it is still unclear how the physicochemical properties of NPs influence their interaction with algae at cellular levels and how this...

Several studies have previously reported that nanomaterial uptake and toxicity in plants are species dependent. However, the differences between photosynthetic pathways, C3 and C4, following nanomaterial exposure are poorly understood. In the current work, wheat and rice, two C3 pathway species are compared to amaranth and maize, which utilize the...

In article number 2000778, Peng Zhang and co‐workers reveal that graphene quantum dots (GQDs) induce antioxidative damage, alteration of phytohormone levels, and mineral homeostasis, which eventually cause impaired photosynthesis and plant growth. Surface functionalization determines the reactive oxygen species generation and antioxidants oxidation...

A 5‐d germination assay and a 14‐d hydroponic trial are performed to evaluate the impacts of graphene quantum dots (GQDs) on lettuce. Results show that GQDs are toxic to lettuce plants and that the effects are highly dependent on particle surface functionalization and plant growth stage. The germination rate is not affected by aminated GQDs (N‐GQDs...

Analytical limitations considerably hinder our understanding of the impacts of the physicochemical properties of nanomaterials (NMs) on their biological fate in organisms. Here, using a fit-for-purpose analytical workflow, including dosing and emerging analytical techniques, NMs present in organisms are characterized and quantified across an aquatic f...

Fe-based nanoparticles (Fe-based NPs) have great potential as a substitute for traditional Fe-fertilizer; however, their environmental risk and impact on plant growth are not fully understood. In this study, we compared the physiological impacts of three different Fe-based NP formulations: zero-valent iron (ZVI), Fe3O4 and Fe2O3 NPs, on hydroponic...

There is a debate on whether the Trojan horse principle is occurring for nanoscale plastic debris (NPD < 1 µm). It is realized that NPD have a high capacity to sorb environmental contaminants such as metals from the surrounding environment compared to their microplastic counterparts, which influences the sorbed contaminants’ uptake. Herein, we stud...

There is a debate on whether the Trojan horse principle is occurring for nanoscale plastic debris (NPD < 1 µm). It is realized that NPD have a high capacity to sorb environmental contaminants such as metals from the surrounding environment compared to their microplastic counterparts, which influences the sorbed contaminants’ uptake. Herein, we stud...

The neurotoxicity of inhaled ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) and the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. In this study, ZnO NPs (30 ± 6 nm) were intranasally instilled to rats via a single dose (13 mg Zn/kg BW), with ZnSO4 as the ionic control, and analysis 7-days post exposure. The hippocampus was found to be the main target for Zn accumulation...

The neurotoxicity of inhaled ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) and the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. In this study, ZnO NPs (30 ± 6 nm) were intranasally instilled to rats via a single dose (13 mg Zn/kg BW), with ZnSO4 as the ionic control, and analysis 7-days post exposure. The hippocampus was found to be the main target for Zn accumulation...

This study explored the potential of ceria nanoparticles (CeO2 NPs) to alleviate stress in hydroponic rice caused by low N (LN) and high N (HN) stresses. N contents in plant were measured after 3 weeks of treatment with CeO2 NPs. The impact of CeO2 NPs on plants under medium N (MN, a normal condition) was studied as a comparison. LN resulted in N d...

Graphene family nanomaterials (GFNs) have shown great potential for biological and environmental applications; however, their future use has been debated due to reported potential neurotoxicity. Moreover, the effects of surface functionalization on their biological end points, are largely unknown. Here, we compared the effects of reduced graphene o...

Previous studies have shown that the toxicity of graphene nanomaterials (GNMs) to bacteria are related to the surface functionalization, however, the involved mechanisms are not fully understood. The present study aims to explore the toxic mechanisms of differentially functionalized GNMs to bacteria from the aspects of physical interaction, oxidati...

In article number 2000705, Peng Zhang, Zhiyong Zhang, and co‐workers present a comprehensive review of nanomaterial transformation in the soil–plant system. Main knowledge gaps are highlighted, and future research needs are outlined so as to ensure sustainable nano‐enabled agricultural applications.

Engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) have huge potential for improving use efficiency of agrochemicals, crop production, and soil health; however, the behavior and fate of ENMs and the potential for negative long‐term impacts to agroecosystems remain largely unknown. In particular, there is a lack of clear understanding of the transformation of ENMs in...

Previous studies indicate that exposure to zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) may potentially cause brain damage in mammals; however, the mechanism remains unclear. In particular, their effect on brain energy metabolism, which is essential for maintaining brain function, is unknown. This study demonstrates that intranasal exposure to ZnO NPs causes...

The mechanism of graphene-based nanomaterial (GBM) induced phytotoxicity and its association with the GBM physicochemical properties are not yet fully understood. The present study compared the effects of graphene oxide (GO) and reduced GO(rGO) on rice seedling growth under hydroponic condition for 3 weeks. GO at 100 and 250 mg/L reduced shoot biom...

Centropages tenuiremis is a species with a wide distribution range in disturbed coastal waters. However, due to a lack of dietary information, it remains unclear as to how they maintain such dominance in fluctuating conditions. In this study, C. tenuiremis was collected from the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant both in inlet and outfall regions at 06:0...

Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) plays important roles in the interferences of dioxin exposure with the occurrence and development of tumors. Neuroblastoma is a kind of malignant tumor with high mortality and its occurrence is getting higher in dioxin exposed populations. However, there is still a lack of direct evidence of influences of dioxin on n...

Toxicity of ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) are often related to the release of Zn2+ ions due to their dissolution. Studies also suggest that the toxicity of ZnO NPs cannot be solely explained by the release of Zn2+ ions; however, there is a lack of direct evidence of ZnO particulate effects. This study compared the acute toxicity of ZnO NPs and ZnSO4 foll...

We systematically investigated how the combinations of size, shape and the natural organic matter (NOM)-ecocorona of gold (Au) engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) influence the attachment of the particles to algae and physical toxicity to the cells. Spherical (10, 60 and 100 nm), urchin-shaped (60 nm), rod-shaped (10 × 45, 40 × 60 and 50 × 100 nm), and...

Polyhalogenated carbazoles (PHCZs) are emerging environmental contaminants that have caused wide concerns due to their dioxin-like toxicity and environmental persistence. It would be desirable to determine all of these chemicals using a simple analytical method. Within this study, a simple and sensitive method combining accelerated solvent extracti...

Engineered nanomaterials are often compositionally indistinguishable from their natural counterparts and thus their tracking in the environment or within biota requires the development of appropriate labelling tools. Stable isotope labelling has become a well-established such tool, developed to assign “ownership” or “source” to engineered nanomater...

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has emerged as a major public health concern due to its fast-growing prevalence in recent decades. Environmental factors are thought to contribute substantially to the variance in ASD. Interest in environmental toxins as causes of ASD has arisen due to the high sensitivity of the developing human brain to toxic chemic...

Uptake of nanoparticles (NPs) by plants is species-dependent; however , its underlying mechanisms are rarely investigated. This study compared the transformation, uptake and translocation of CeO 2 NPs (nCeO 2) in four different plant species. Corn showed the lowest trans-location factor (TF) of Ce, while the differences among the plant species redu...

Uptake of nanoparticles (NPs) by plants is species dependent; however, the underlying mechanisms are rarely investigated. This study compared the transformation, uptake and translocation of CeO2 NPs (nCeO2) in four different plant species. Corn showed the lowest translocation factor (TF) of Ce, while the differences among the plant species reduced...

Dechlorane 602 (Dec 602), a chlorinated flame retardant, has been widely detected in different environmental matrices and biota. However, toxicity data for Dec 602 seldom have been reported. A metabolomics study based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with ion trap time-of-flight mass spectrometry was employed to study the uri...

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has emerged as a major public health concern due to its fast-growing prevalence in recent decades. Environmental factors are thought to contribute substantially to the variance in ASD. Interest in environmental toxins as causes of ASD has arisen due to the high sensitivity of the developing human brain to toxic chemic...

There is strong evidence that immune activation from prenatal infection increases the risk for offspring to develop schizophrenia. The endocannabinoid (eCB) system has been implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia while models of cortical dysfunction postulate an imbalance between neuronal excitation and inhibition in the disorder. The cu...

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE, EC 3.1.1.7) is a classical biomarker for monitoring contamination and intoxication of organophosphate (OP) and carbamate pesticides. In addition to these classical environmental AChE inhibitors, other organic toxic substances have been found to alter AChE activity in various species. These emerging organic AChE disruptor...

Impact of graphene based material (GNMs) on bacteria biofilm has not been well understood yet. In this study, we compared the impact of graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) on biofilm formation and development in Luria-Bertani (LB) medium using Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus as models. GO signif- icantly enhanced the cel...

Impact of graphene based material (GNMs) on bacteria biofilm has not been well understood yet. In this study, we compared the impact of graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) on biofilm formation and development in Luria-Bertani (LB) medium using Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus as models. GO significantly enhanced the cell...

Proteomics technology is an attractive biomarker candidate discovery tool that can be applied to study large sets of biological molecules. To identify novel biomarkers and molecular targets in arsenic-induced skin lesions, we have determined the protein profile of arsenic-affected human epidermal stratum corneum by shotgun proteomics. Samples of pa...

Knowledge of copepod in situ diet is critical for accurate assessment of trophic linkages and transfer efficiencies of the marine food web but is limited due to technical challenges. Here we report, using a recently developed eukaryote-universal copepod-excluding ectobiotic ciliate-blocking protocol, to investigate the natural diets of the copepods...

The discovery of microbial rhodopsins in marine proteobacteria changed the dogma that photosynthesis is the only pathway to use the solar energy for biological utilization in the marine environment. Although homologs of these rhodopsins have been identified in dinoflagellates, the diversity of the encoding genes and their physiological roles remain...

Knowledge of in situ copepod diet diversity is crucial for accurately describing pelagic food web structure but is challenging to achieve due to lack of an easily applicable methodology. To enable analysis with whole copepod-derived DNAs, we developed a copepod-excluding 18S rDNA-based PCR protocol. Although it is effective in depressing amplificat...

Heterotrophic dinoflagellates are prevalent protists in marine environments, which play an important role in the carbon cycling and energy flow in the marine planktonic community. Oxyrrhis marina (Dinophyceae), a widespread heterotrophic dinoflagellate, is a model species used for a broad range of ecological, biogeographic, and evolutionary studies...

Toward understanding the genetic diversity and distribution of copepod-associated symbiotic ciliates and the evolutionary relationships with their hosts in the marine environment, we developed a small subunit ribosomal RNA gene (18S rDNA)-based molecular method and investigated the genetic diversity and genotype distribution of the symbiotic ciliat...