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A combined hazard to mariculture: Quality and safety impairment associated with intestinal barrier disruption in fish co-exposed to environmentally relevant microplastics and antibiotics
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Tiny plastic particles in ocean fish farms can act like sponges, soaking up antibiotics and making it easier for fish to absorb them, damaging their gut health and reducing their nutritional quality. In this study, farmed fish exposed to both microplastics and a common antibiotic had more of the drug build up in their edible muscle, though levels were still within safe limits for human consumption based on current estimates. The findings suggest that microplastic pollution could be quietly amplifying other contamination problems in our seafood, highlighting a need for closer monitoring of farmed fish as microplastic pollution continues to rise.
Microplastics (MPs) and antibiotics frequently co-occur in mariculture waters, yet the role of MPs as exposure modifiers that enhance antibiotic bioavailability and translate waterborne contaminations into fish quality deterioration remains poorly understood. This study investigates the carrier effect of environmentally relevant mariculture-sourced MPs on the frequently detected antibiotic sulfamethoxazole (SMZ) and its implications for the quality safety of Sebastes schlegelii. Adsorption experiments showed that environmental aging markedly increased MP affinity and adsorption capacity for SMZ, leading to heightened exposure potential. In a 28-day exposure experiment, co-exposure to MPs and SMZ elevated internal SMZ levels, particularly in edible muscle, resulting in increased dietary exposure estimates (although THQ values remained below 1), as well as reduced growth performance and nutritional quality of S. schlegelii. Mechanistically, co-exposure caused notable intestinal barrier failure, characterized by villus atrophy, epithelial damage, reduced mucus protection, and impaired digestive enzyme activities, collectively indicating compromised nutrient assimilation. These intestinal injuries were accompanied by intensified immune and oxidative stress responses and gut microbiota dysbiosis. Overall, environmentally characteristic MPs can exacerbate SMZ exposure and initiate toxicity cascades that threaten mariculture sustainability and food safety, emphasizing the need to incorporate MP aging effects into antibiotic risk assessments and coastal monitoring frameworks.
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Gut microbiota related response of Oryzias melastigma to combined exposure of polystyrene microplastics and tetracycline
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Researchers exposed estuarine fish to polystyrene microplastics and the antibiotic tetracycline, both alone and in combination, for four weeks. The combined exposure caused more severe disruption to gut bacteria and liver tissue than either pollutant alone, with microplastics appearing to worsen the effects of tetracycline. The study suggests that the co-occurrence of microplastics and antibiotics in coastal waters may pose greater ecological risks than either contaminant by itself.
Microplastic-antibiotic Complex Pollutants on Intestinal Microbial Community Structure of Zebrafish
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Tiny plastic particles in water can soak up antibiotics like a sponge, essentially hitching a ride into the guts of fish and disrupting their natural balance of gut bacteria. This matters because it shows microplastics aren't just passive pollution—they can act as delivery vehicles for other harmful chemicals, and since fish are part of our food chain and share similar gut biology to humans, this raises real questions about what combined pollution might be doing to our own health.
Nanoplastics enhance the intestinal damage and genotoxicity of sulfamethoxazole to medaka juveniles (Oryzias melastigma) in coastal environment
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Scientists exposed young medaka fish to the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole and polystyrene nanoplastics, both individually and together, to study their combined effects on intestinal health. They found that co-exposure caused more severe gut damage than either pollutant alone, disrupting the gut microbiome and triggering changes in gene expression related to immune defense and DNA repair. The study suggests that nanoplastics may amplify the harmful effects of antibiotics on fish in coastal environments.
Gut microbiome and metabolic responses of adult zebrafish (Danio rerio) to the co-exposure of polyethylene microplastics and levofloxacin
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Scientists found that when zebrafish were exposed to both microplastics and a common antibiotic together, something surprising happened: the microplastics actually soaked up some of the antibiotic, which protected the fish's gut bacteria from damage. But here's the catch — even though the gut microbiome looked healthier, the fish still suffered worse overall health effects, including stress signals and metabolic disruptions not seen with either exposure alone. This suggests that a "stable" gut microbiome doesn't always mean a body is truly healthy, which matters as humans increasingly encounter both microplastics and antibiotic residues in food and water
Combined effects of micro-/nano-plastics and oxytetracycline on the intestinal histopathology and microbiome in zebrafish (Danio rerio)
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Researchers studied the combined effects of micro- and nano-sized plastics with the antibiotic oxytetracycline on zebrafish intestines over 30 days. Nano-sized plastics caused more intestinal damage than micro-sized ones, and combined exposures altered gut bacterial communities and increased antibiotic resistance genes. The findings suggest that the co-occurrence of plastic particles and antibiotics in aquatic environments may have compounding negative effects on fish gut health.
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