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Nanoplastics in aquatic ecosystems: Disruptions to fish digestive physiology and gut microbiota
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This review covers how nanoplastics affect fish digestion. Reported effects include damage to the gut lining, lower digestive enzyme activity, oxidative stress and less diverse gut bacteria. It also notes emerging studies of probiotics and prebiotics in fish diets.
Nanoplastics (NPs) have emerged as pervasive contaminants in aquatic ecosystems, raising concerns due to their small size, high reactivity, and bioaccumulation potential. This review examines their impacts on fish digestive physiology and gut microbiota, highlighting key mechanisms and ecological implications. Evidence shows that NPs disrupt intestinal integrity by causing epithelial damage, villus degeneration, and increased gut permeability. These changes impair digestive enzyme activity, reducing nutrient absorption and growth performance. NPs also induce oxidative stress through excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, weakening antioxidant defenses and triggering inflammation in digestive tissues. Additionally, NPs alter gut microbial communities by reducing diversity, depleting beneficial taxa, and promoting opportunistic pathogens. This dysbiosis affects metabolic functions, immune responses, and overall fish health. Co-exposure with other contaminants may further intensify these effects. Emerging studies suggest that dietary strategies, such as probiotics and prebiotics, could help mitigate NP-induced damage and restore gut balance. Despite recent progress, significant knowledge gaps remain regarding long-term exposure, species-specific responses, and molecular toxicity mechanisms. Future multidisciplinary research is essential to improve risk assessment and develop sustainable mitigation strategies for aquaculture and aquatic ecosystems.
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Understanding the links between micro/nanoplastics-induced gut microbes dysbiosis and potential diseases in fish: A review
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This review examines how microplastics and nanoplastics accumulate in fish intestines and disrupt their gut bacteria, potentially leading to inflammation, immune problems, and metabolic diseases. The disrupted gut microbiome can weaken the intestinal barrier, allowing harmful substances to enter the fish's body. Since fish are a major protein source for billions of people, understanding how microplastics damage fish gut health is important for assessing risks to human food safety.
Plastics in our water: Fish microbiomes at risk?
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This review examined how microplastics and leached plasticizers affect the gut microbiomes of freshwater and marine fish, summarizing evidence for dysbiosis and reduced microbial diversity and discussing potential consequences for fish immunity, metabolism, and environmental fitness.
Low particle concentrations of nanoplastics impair the gut health of medaka
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Researchers exposed Japanese medaka fish to low concentrations of nanoplastics for three months and observed significant damage to gut health, including tissue injury, impaired digestive enzymes, weakened immunity, and disrupted gut bacteria. Even at particle concentrations considered environmentally realistic, the nanoplastics caused measurable harm and increased mortality. The study suggests that long-term exposure to low levels of nanoplastics may pose greater risks to fish health than previously assumed.
Global analysis of the adverse effects of micro- and nanoplastics on intestinal health and microbiota of fish
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This large-scale analysis combined data from 118 studies to assess how micro- and nanoplastics affect fish gut health. The results show that these particles generally damage the intestinal lining, weaken immune defenses, and disrupt digestive function in fish. Younger fish and certain plastic types like PVC caused the most harm, highlighting that the specific characteristics of the plastic particles matter for understanding their toxicity.
The microplastic-crisis: Role of bacteria in fighting microplastic-effects in the digestive system
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This review describes how micro- and nanoplastics may affect the digestive tract, including the gut microbiota, digestive enzymes and the mucus layer. The authors compared probiotic genomes with known plastic degraders and found no probiotic able to degrade plastic. They discuss probiotics instead for effects on microbial diversity, the gut barrier and inflammation.
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