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Pathways to Identifying the Impacts of Microplastic Exposure on Aquatic Vertebrate Immunity
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Tiny plastic particles called micro- and nanoplastics are showing up everywhere in our environment, including the Great Lakes, which supply drinking water to 40 million people. This paper reviews what scientists currently know about how these plastics affect the immune systems of fish and amphibians, and proposes using frogs as a model to better understand potential health risks, research that could eventually help us understand how these particles might affect human health too, since we're exposed to the same water sources and contaminants.
Microplastics (MPs) (1 μm - 5 mm-) are now ubiquitous in the environment. They exhibit a variety of different shapes and compositions and accumulate in organs of virtually every organism. Recently, biomedical researchers have focused on nanoplastics (NP) (1 nm -1 μm ) because of their potential to enter organisms, cross cell barriers, and impact biological processes. Taken together, micro- and nano-plastics (MNP) are increasingly considered a contaminant of concern in freshwater systems such as the Laurentian Great Lakes in North America, which provide drinking water for 40 million people in the United States and Canada. We review here the current knowledge and challenges to overcome for evaluating the long-term consequences of MNP exposure in freshwater ecosystems and their aquatic vertebrates. We demonstrate how the use of a novel animal model in the amphibian Xenopus within the context of a transdisciplinary research center has the potential to rapidly advance knowledge about key biological mechanisms and potential health impacts of environmentally-relevant MNPs.
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Immunological impacts of exposure to microplastic water contaminants during early development in Xenopus 2357
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Researchers used Xenopus frogs—whose immune system parallels key human features—to study how early developmental microplastic exposure affects immune system development, finding disruption of both innate and adaptive immune components with potential relevance to human susceptibility to infection.
Microplastics as an emerging threat to amphibians: Current status and future perspectives
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This review summarizes existing research on microplastic contamination in amphibians like frogs and salamanders, finding that over 80% of studied species had accumulated microplastics. The particles persisted in organs, showed toxic and gene-damaging effects, and could transfer through the food chain. Since amphibians are indicators of environmental health, widespread microplastic accumulation in these animals signals broader ecosystem contamination that can ultimately affect human food and water sources.
Impacts of microplastic accumulation in aquatic environment: Physiological, eco-toxicological, immunological, and neurotoxic effects
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This review summarizes how microplastics build up in fish and other aquatic life, causing damage to their immune systems, nervous systems, and overall health. When fish eat microplastics, the particles move up the food chain and can eventually reach humans through seafood consumption. The authors also discuss strategies for removing microplastics from water and reducing plastic pollution.
Life on both environment in semi-aquatic frogs: Impact of aquatic microplastic (MP) from MP enrichment to growth, immune function and physiological stress
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Researchers exposed juvenile black-spotted pond frogs to different concentrations of microplastics in water to study effects after metamorphosis. They found that microplastics accumulated primarily in the digestive tract and caused reduced growth, increased stress markers, and weakened immune function at higher concentrations. The study suggests that microplastic pollution in freshwater habitats could pose significant health risks to amphibians during vulnerable life stages.
Ecotoxicological perspectives of microplastic pollution in amphibians
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This review summarizes research on how microplastics affect amphibians, which are considered important indicator species for freshwater pollution. Researchers found evidence that microplastics can impair amphibian growth, immune function, and gene expression, with effects varying by species and particle characteristics. The findings raise concerns about the vulnerability of amphibian populations already threatened by habitat loss and other environmental stressors.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.