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Biological Impacts of Microplastic Exposure in Zebrafish (Danio rerio): A Systematic Review Across Developmental, Physiological, and Neurobehavioral Endpoints
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This review pulls together 60 studies on how microplastics affect zebrafish, a small fish scientists use to model human biology, and finds that higher doses, especially of "weathered" microplastics broken down by sun and water, cause more harm to growth, organ development, brain function, and behavior. While this research is in fish, it matters for us too since zebrafish share key biological systems with humans, and these findings suggest that the tiny plastic particles now found in our water, food, and even our bodies could potentially disrupt similar processes. That said, scientists note more consistent research methods are needed before we can say exactly how this translates to human health risks.
Microplastics (MPs) are emerging pollutants widespread in aquatic environments; however, their effects across the different life stages of aquatic organisms remain poorly understood. This systematic review integrates recent experimental results on the developmental, physiological, and neurobehavioral effects of MP exposure on zebrafish (Danio rerio), a popular model organism for ecotoxicology research. A PRISMA-guided search using Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus as databases generated 581 articles, which were screened to 60 eligible articles. The collated results showed that MP toxicity at various life stages of zebrafish was strongly related to the physicochemical properties of MPs and exposure conditions. In terms of developmental toxicity, peer-reviewed publications assessing specific MP physicochemical properties—polymer type, size, concentration, shape, and degree of aging—reported concentration-dependent effects, with increasing MP concentrations generally associated with growth inhibition, cardiac dysfunction, increased malformations, and lower hatching rate, particularly at ≥10 mg/L to ≥100 mg/L. However, several studies noted that under particle-based exposure scenarios, MP toxicity exhibited threshold-like or non-monotonic responses, attributed to aggregation, bioavailability, and uptake dynamics. Weathered and artificially aged MPs exhibited higher embryotoxicity and neurodevelopmental toxicity, including changes in gene expression of neurons, decreased integrity of motor neurons, and impaired retinal development, compared with “virgin” MPs. In terms of physiological endpoints, oxidative imbalance like changes in the activity of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx)), lipid peroxidation, inflammation, and disruption of tight junctions have been reported as key toxicity pathways. Chronic MP exposure in zebrafish also caused changes in the gut microbiota, hepatic metabolism, endocrine disruption, reproductive damage, thyroid function disruption, and genotoxicity in zebrafish. In terms of neurobehavioral effects, changes in locomotor activity, anxiety response, neurotransmitter homeostasis, and acetylcholinesterase function, have been observed, in both larvae and adults, with a potentiation effect in aged MP exposure. Finally, this systematic review found major limitations for inter-study comparisons because of inconsistencies and differences in methodology applied related to MP concentration, simulation of natural MP aging, and MP dose measurements.
More Papers Like This
Biological Consequences of Microplastic Exposure in Zebrafish (Danio rerio): A Systematic Review Across Developmental, Physiological, and Neurobehavioral Endpoints
AI summary Read the abstract
This review pulls together 60 studies on zebrafish (a common lab fish used to study health effects) exposed to microplastics, finding that these tiny plastic particles can harm development, damage organs, disrupt hormones, and alter behavior—with "aged" or weathered microplastics (the kind more common in real-world pollution) often causing more harm than fresh ones. While zebrafish aren't humans, they share enough biology with us that these findings raise real concerns about how the microplastics we're increasingly exposed to through food, water, and air might affect our own health, especially since scientists still need to standardize how they test microplastic exposure
Advances of microplastics ingestion on the morphological and behavioral conditions of model zebrafish: A review
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This review summarizes research on how microplastic ingestion affects zebrafish, a popular lab animal that shares genetic similarities with humans. Studies show that microplastics cause a range of harmful effects in zebrafish, including abnormal behavior, oxidative stress, immune disruption, and reproductive problems, with smaller particles and higher concentrations causing the most damage. Since zebrafish are used as a model for human health, these findings raise concerns about what similar exposure levels could mean for people.
Danio rerio as a Model Animal for Assessing Microplastic Toxicity
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This review examines the use of zebrafish as a model organism for assessing microplastic toxicity, summarizing experimental findings across polymer types and sizes showing that microplastic exposure induces epithelial damage, lipid metabolism disruption, reproductive impairment, and neurobehavioral alterations, and discussing the strengths and limitations of Danio rerio for microplastic hazard assessment.
Research progress of model animal zebrafish in toxicity evaluation of microplastics
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This review examines the use of zebrafish as a model organism for evaluating the toxicity of microplastics, synthesizing research on how microplastic exposure affects development, reproduction, and physiological function in this well-established vertebrate model. The authors highlight zebrafish as a particularly valuable system for mechanistic toxicology studies given its genetic tractability and the breadth of endpoints assessable across life stages.
From particle size to brain function: a zebrafish-based review of micro/nanoplastic-induced neurobehavioral toxicity and mechanistic pathways
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This review uses zebrafish as a model to examine how micro- and nanoplastics cause neurobehavioral toxicity, linking particle size to brain function disruption. Researchers summarize evidence that these plastic particles impair fish behavior and cause molecular-level damage in the nervous system. The findings highlight the growing concern that micro- and nanoplastics are emerging neurotoxicants in aquatic environments.
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