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Transcriptome Analysis of Soiny Mullet Larvae Challenge with Polystyrene Microplastics
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Researchers analyzed gene activity in fish larvae exposed to polystyrene microplastics and found that even short-term exposure disrupted immune-related pathways and promoted cell death, suggesting microplastics may compromise fish immune systems in ways that could have broader implications for aquatic food webs.
Microplastics (MPs) pollution has become a worldwide environmental problem. The study about the effects of microplastics on fish, especially on the fish immune system is limited. In the present study, the transcriptome of soiny mullet (Liza haematocheila) larvae at 7 d and 14 d post 0.5 µm MPs exposure were analyzed by DNBSEQ platform. A total number of 96585 unigenes were obtained with average length of 1925 bp. Approximately 72.48% (70004), 76.80% (74176), and 62.94% (60787) unigenes were matched with the annotated sequences for non-redundant (NR), NCBI nucleotide (NT) and Swissprot database, respectively. Compared with control group, 1336 differently expressed genes (DEGs) were identified at 7 d post MPs exposure. As the MPs exposure time extended to 14 d, the number of DEGs in the MPs exposure group reached to 3561. Further, KEGG enrichment analysis revealed that several immune-related pathways, such as interleukin (IL)-17 signaling pathway, tumor necrosis factor (TNF) signaling pathway, were affected by MPs exposure. In addition, apoptosis signaling pathway was also enriched under MPs exposure. These results demonstrated that MPs can alter the expressions of immune-related genes, providing basis for understanding the immune toxicity of MPs on fish and other vertebrates.
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The impacts of PVC microplastics on physiology and transcriptomic responses of pearl oyster Pinctada fucata martensii
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Pearl oysters (Pinctada fucata martensii) exposed to PVC microplastics for 10 days showed elevated superoxide dismutase activity and significant transcriptomic changes across multiple biological pathways, with oxidative stress partially reversing during a 6-day recovery period. The disruption of antioxidant defenses and broad gene expression changes in commercially farmed oysters at environmentally relevant PVC concentrations raises concerns about microplastic impacts on aquaculture productivity and the safety of shellfish consumed by humans.
Physiological Alterations and Immune Modulation in Fish Exposed to Microplastics
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Researchers reviewed the physiological and immunological effects of microplastic exposure in fish, finding that these particles smaller than 5 mm induce a range of biological disruptions including immune modulation, oxidative stress, and systemic health impacts with broader implications for aquatic ecosystem integrity.
Microplastics contamination suppressed immune and health status in cage cultured Barramundi: An investigation on pollution sources, ecotoxicological impacts, and transcription of genes involved in detoxification
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Farmed fish in ocean cages are absorbing tiny plastic particles from polluted waters, and this is weakening their immune systems and stressing their livers, based on a study of Barramundi (a popular food fish) from the Persian Gulf. The good news for consumers: the plastics mostly built up in gills and organs rather than the muscle we actually eat, so the direct risk to people eating this fish appears low, but the findings raise concerns about the health and sustainability of fish raised in plastic-polluted waters.
Multi-omics analysis reveals polyethylene microplastics-induced gill damage, metabolic disruption and immune dysregulation in Lateolabrax maculatus
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The Presence of Microplastics and Plasticizers in Different Tissues of Mullet (Mugil cephalus) Along the East Java Coast in Indonesia
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Researchers found microplastics in the gills, stomach, and intestines of mullet fish (Mugil cephalus) from four East Java coastal sites, with gills containing the highest loads (10.87 particles/individual) and pellets smaller than 100 µm dominating, along with plasticizers including the toxic cyclohexadiene. The study shows that coastal fish consumed by humans carry both microplastic particles and their chemical additives through multiple tissues, raising direct food safety concerns.
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