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Polystyrene Nanoplastics Disrupt Lateral Line Neuromasts and Impair Flow-Guided Behaviors in Zebrafish
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Researchers exposed zebrafish, at both adult and larval stages, to tiny polystyrene nanoplastic particles in the lab. The fish showed damage to sensory cells that detect water flow, along with changes in swimming behavior and cellular stress signals linked to energy use, inflammation and cell damage.
Abstract Nanoplastics (NPs) are pervasive aquatic pollutants; however, their effects on fish mechanosensory function remain poorly understood. This study investigated the impacts of polystyrene NPs (PS-NPs) on the lateral line system of zebrafish (Danio rerio) across life stages by integrating hydrodynamic behavioral assays with cellular, ultrastructural, transcriptomic, and protein-level analyses. Our results showed that PS-NP exposure significantly impaired flow-guided behaviors and hydrodynamic sensing in both life stages. Adult zebrafish exhibited reduced trajectory linearity and directional precision during rheotaxis, while larvae showed compromised spatial stability and elevated angular motion under vortex-flow conditions. These functional alterations were accompanied by reduced DASPEI-positive hair-cell counts, increased apoptosis, shortened kinocilia, and disorganization and partial loss of apical hair bundles. Integrated bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing revealed consistent perturbations in pathways related to mitochondrial bioenergetics, glutathione metabolism, AMPK/mTOR-associated signaling, cytoskeletal organization, and vesicle trafficking. Whole-larva protein analysis further showed increased LC3B and ACSL4 abundance and decreased GPX4 abundance, consistent with autophagy- and ferroptosis-associated molecular alterations. In conclusion, these results identify the lateral line as a sensitive target of NP exposure and suggest that PS-NPs may impair hydrodynamic sensing through neuromast structural damage and metabolic-redox dysregulation.
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Nanoplastics Cause Neurobehavioral Impairments, Reproductive and Oxidative Damages, and Biomarker Responses in Zebrafish: Throwing up Alarms of Wide Spread Health Risk of Exposure
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Researchers exposed adult zebrafish to polystyrene nanoplastics and found that the particles accumulated in the brain, liver, intestine, and gonads, causing significant behavioral and physiological changes. The fish showed disrupted energy metabolism, oxidative stress, and altered locomotion, aggression, and predator avoidance behaviors. The findings raise concerns about the widespread health risks of nanoplastic exposure, as these particles are small enough to cross biological membranes.
Impacts of Environmental Concentrations of Nanoplastics on Zebrafish Neurobehavior and Reproductive Toxicity
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Researchers exposed zebrafish to environmentally realistic levels of polystyrene nanoplastics and found they caused both brain and reproductive damage. The nanoplastics disrupted neurotransmitter signaling and impaired the hormonal pathway connecting the brain to reproductive organs, with different effects in males and females. These findings suggest that even low-level nanoplastic exposure could affect both brain function and fertility in aquatic life that humans may consume.
Polystyrene nanoplastics disrupt glucose metabolism and cortisol levels with a possible link to behavioural changes in larval zebrafish
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Researchers exposed larval zebrafish to polystyrene nanoplastics and found the particles accumulated in the pancreas, lowering blood glucose and triggering a stress hormone (cortisol) spike that caused the fish to swim hyperactively. The study identifies a specific biological pathway — disrupted glucose regulation leading to stress hormone activation — through which nanoplastics may alter behavior in aquatic animals.
Neurotoxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics with different particle sizes at environment-related concentrations on early zebrafish embryos
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Researchers exposed zebrafish embryos to polystyrene nanoplastics of different sizes at concentrations found in the environment and observed significant brain damage. The nanoplastics caused loss of neurons, shortened nerve fibers, and disrupted brain signaling systems that control behavior. Smaller nanoplastics caused the most severe damage because they could pass through protective barriers more easily, suggesting that the tiniest plastic particles pose the greatest risk to brain development.
Polystyrene Nanoplastic Exposure Adversely Affects Survivability of Zebrafish Larvae
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Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastic exposure significantly reduces survival rates of zebrafish larvae in a dose-dependent manner, documenting behavioral abnormalities and developmental defects that highlight the toxicity of nanoscale plastic particles to early vertebrate life.
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