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Evaluation of Microplastics and Oxidative Stress Biomarkers in Marine Fish
Summary
Scientists found tiny plastic bits (from things like packaging and synthetic fabrics) inside the gills, guts, and muscle of three popular seafood fish, and these plastics were linked to cell damage from oxidative stress—basically, wear and tear at the cellular level that varied depending on the fish species. This matters because it suggests the fish we eat may be absorbing plastic pollution in ways that affect their health, and since we eat the muscle tissue too, it raises questions about what we might be consuming along with our seafood—though more research is needed to know exactly how this impacts human health.
This study examined microplastic accumulation and oxidative stress in three commercial marine fish: oil sardine (Sardinella longiceps), anchovy (Stolephorus indicus), and red snapper (Lutjanus malabaricus) from Chennai. Tissues (gill, gut and muscle; 2 grams each) were digested with potassium hydroxide, densityseparation was done using saturated sodium chloride, filtered, and analysed with a stereomicroscope. Microplastics ranged between 100 and 500 micrometers, mainly fibers and fragments in blue, black, pink, red, violet, green, and brown colours. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) identified nylon, polystyrene, polycarbonate, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene terephthalate, polymethyl methacrylate, and polytetrafluoroethylene. Oxidative stress markers were measured: malondialdehyde (lipid peroxidation at 532 nanometers), peroxidase (470 nanometres), and catalase (240 nanometers). Red snapper (Lutjanus malabaricus) showed highest malondialdehyde, followed by anchovy (Stolephorus indicus) and oil sardine (Sardinella longiceps). Catalase activity was high in oil sardine (Sardinella longiceps) compared with red snapper (Lutjanus malabaricus). One-way ANOVA analysis of variance indicated high significant species effect on malondialdehyde (F (2,6) = 257.01, P < 0.001) meanwhile peroxidase (F (2,6) = 15.83, P < 0.01) showed a significant effect and catalase (F (2,6) = 60.78, P < 0.001). Microplastics induce speciesspecific lipid peroxidation with distinct enzymatic antioxidant responses, posing risks to fish health and seafood safety. Enhanced monitoring is needed.