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Polystyrene microplastics and cypermethrin exposure interfered the complexity of antibiotic resistance genes and induced metabolic dysfunction in the gut of adult zebrafish
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Zebrafish exposed to a combination of polystyrene microplastics and the pesticide cypermethrin showed more severe gut damage than from either pollutant alone, including loss of beneficial gut bacteria, growth of harmful microbes, and increased antibiotic resistance genes. This suggests that microplastics and pesticides together may disrupt gut health more than expected, which is relevant since humans encounter both pollutants through food and water.
Environmental pollutants such as microplastics (MPs) and pesticides are becoming prevalent in aquatic ecosystems, posing risks to wildlife and human health. This study investigated the toxicological effects of polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs) and cypermethrin (CYP) on adult female zebrafish (Danio rerio), focusing on intestinal microenvironment. Adsorption kinetics experimental results showed that PS-MPs can adsorb a certain amount of CYP on its surface, thereby forming a new type of composite pollutant. After exposure to red fluorescent PS-MPs for 4 days, it was found that the PS-MPs could enter the zebrafish and accumulate in the intestines. Five-month-old female zebrafish were exposed to PS-MPs, CYP, and a mixture of both for 21 days. After exposure, feces were collected and analyzed using metagenomic sequencing to determine microbial composition and functional changes. Metagenomic sequencing of naturally excreted feces showed that co-exposure synergistically reduced α-diversity and shifted community structure, with marked losses of beneficial Fusobacteriota, Firmicutes and Cetobacterium somerae and enrichment of pathogenic Preplasmiviricota. Functional annotation indicated that PS-MPs alone up-regulated glycoside hydrolases and glycosyl-transferases, whereas CYP and the co-exposure group suppressed a great number of the top 50 carbohydrate-active enzymes and decreased secondary metabolic pathways linked to amino-acid, lipid and carbohydrate metabolism pathways. Antibiotic-resistance gene (ARGs) profiling identified 57 ARG types (such as sul1, adeF, lnuC and mphA) after co-exposure. Finally, key genes related to amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, and lipid metabolism in intestinal tissue were significantly altered. Collectively, our data demonstrated that PS-MPs and CYP exposure amplified gut dysbiosis, metabolic dysfunction and ARG complexity in zebrafish. Overall, the study highlighted the potential risks of combined environmental pollutants on intestinal microbiota, with implications for ecosystem health.
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Co-exposure to polystyrene microplastics and cypermethrin enhanced the effects on hepatic phospholipid metabolism and gut microbes in adult zebrafish
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When zebrafish were exposed to both polystyrene microplastics and the pesticide cypermethrin together, the combination caused significantly more liver damage than either pollutant alone. The mixture disrupted fat metabolism in the liver and altered gut bacteria in ways not seen with individual exposures. This matters because microplastics and pesticides frequently co-exist in waterways, and their combined effects on fish health could affect the safety of fish as food.
Combined toxic effects of polyethylene microplastics and lambda-cyhalothrin on gut of zebrafish (Danio rerio)
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Researchers found that polyethylene microplastics can adsorb the pesticide lambda-cyhalothrin from water and then release it in the guts of zebrafish, worsening its toxic effects. Fish exposed to both microplastics and the pesticide showed greater oxidative stress, immune disruption, and gut microbiome changes than those exposed to the pesticide alone. This demonstrates how microplastics can act as carriers that amplify the toxicity of other environmental pollutants in aquatic organisms consumed by humans.
Toxicological effects of microplastics and phenanthrene to zebrafish (Danio rerio)
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Researchers exposed zebrafish to polystyrene microplastics, the pollutant phenanthrene, and a combination of both to assess their toxicity over 24 days. They found that co-exposure amplified oxidative stress, suppressed immune gene expression, and significantly disrupted the gut microbiome compared to either contaminant alone. The study suggests that microplastics can worsen the toxic effects of organic pollutants in aquatic organisms by altering how chemicals accumulate and interact in the body.
Integrated analysis of zebrafish gut microbiota and liver transcriptome responses to polystyrene microplastics and cadmium
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Researchers exposed zebrafish to polystyrene microplastics and cadmium, both individually and combined, and found that combined exposure caused more severe disruption to gut bacteria and liver gene expression than either pollutant alone. The study revealed that microplastics decreased beneficial gut bacteria while increasing pathogenic species, and the combined treatment suppressed liver xenobiotic metabolism and antioxidant pathways.
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.
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