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Associations Between Microplastic Burden and Oxidative Stress Biomarkers in the Freshwater Mussel Unio elongatulus
Summary
Scientists found that freshwater mussels with more microplastic particles in their bodies showed changes in certain stress-related chemicals, suggesting the plastic may be causing cellular stress in these animals. While this study looked at mussels, not humans directly, it matters because these mussels are an early warning system: they live in the same waterways that can feed into our drinking water and food supply, so signs of stress in them may hint at broader risks from microplastic pollution in our environment. More research is needed before we know exactly what this means for human health, but it adds to growing evidence that microplastics can affect living tissue at a biological level.
Freshwater ecosystems are increasingly threatened by microplastics (MPs), yet field evidence linking MP burden with physiological responses in freshwater bivalves remains limited. This study investigated the associations between individual MP burden and oxidative stress biomarkers in the freshwater mussel Unio elongatulus collected from the Sacchetti Ditch, northeastern Italy. Mussels were sampled bimonthly over a 10-month monitoring period. The activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, glutathione S-transferase, glyoxalase I, glyoxalase II, and lactate dehydrogenase, together with metallothionein levels, were determined in the gills and digestive gland. Significant associations with MP burden were detected for glyoxalase II and lactate dehydrogenase in the digestive gland and for glutathione S-transferase in the gills. MP burden was negatively associated with glutathione S-transferase and lactate dehydrogenase activities and positively associated with glyoxalase II activity. Most biomarkers also showed significant variation among sampling periods, indicating substantial temporal variability. Although the observational design does not allow causal relationships to be established, GST, GII, and LDH were the biomarkers most consistently associated with individual MP burden. These biomarkers may therefore represent promising candidates for inclusion in integrated biomonitoring approaches aimed at assessing MP-associated sublethal stress in freshwater ecosystems.