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Carboxyl Surface Modification Attenuates Polystyrene- but Not Poly(methyl methacrylate) Nanoplastic-Induced Gut Dysbiosis in Zebrafish Larvae
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Researchers compared the gut effects of pristine versus carboxyl-modified polystyrene and PMMA nanoplastics in zebrafish larvae. They found that carboxyl modification effectively reduced polystyrene-induced intestinal damage, but had no protective effect against PMMA-induced gut inflammation and the enrichment of opportunistic pathogens like Vibrio and Morganella. The study demonstrates that the polymer type fundamentally determines whether surface modifications can reduce nanoplastic gut toxicity.
Plastic polymers are widely recognized as significant environmental toxicants through their generation of nanoplastics (NPs), with polystyrene (PS) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) among the most frequently detected in ecosystems. While carboxyl surface modification is known to reduce NP toxicity in some systems, its protective efficacy in intestinal environments remains unclear. This study investigated the comparative effects of pristine PS and PMMA versus their carboxylated derivatives (PS-COOH and PMMA-COOH) on gut dysbiosis in zebrafish larvae. Pathological examination revealed that PS induced the most severe intestinal epithelial damage, which was effectively mitigated by carboxylation. Conversely, PMMA triggered robust gut inflammation, evidenced by significant upregulation of proinflammatory markers IL-1β and NOS2A, effects that persisted despite carboxylation. These differences were correlated with microbiota shifts: PMMA groups significantly enriched opportunistic pathogens (Vibrio and Morganella), while PS-COOH only partially restored microbial balance. Functional analyses identified that carboxylation disrupts key microbial pathways, including amino acid metabolism and NOD-like receptor signaling, which are crucial for maintaining intestinal homeostasis. The roles of gut microbes were further verified by challenging the microbiota-depleted model with Morganella morganii. Our results demonstrate that polymer composition dictates carboxyl modification efficacy─protective for PS but ineffective for PMMA─highlighting the need for material-specific NP safety assessments.
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Researchers found that surface-modified nanoplastics (with carboxyl or amino groups) delayed the recovery of gut microbiota in marine medaka fish after combined exposure with the antibiotic sulfamethazine, compared to plain polystyrene nanoplastics. The modified nanoplastics were expelled more slowly from the fish and released more of the adsorbed antibiotic during digestion. The study suggests that real-world nanoplastics, which typically carry surface functional groups from environmental weathering, may pose greater risks to gut health than pristine particles.
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Researchers studied how nanoplastics with different surface charges affect gut health in zebrafish using histopathology, immunology, and microbial analysis. The study found that gut damage and microflora disturbance caused by nanoplastic ingestion significantly depended on the surface functional groups of the particles.
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Researchers compared the effects of polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics on a biological system, finding that nanoplastics caused more severe adverse effects than microplastics at equivalent mass doses, likely due to greater surface area and cellular penetration capacity.
[Biological Effect of Microplastics with Different Functional Groups on the Bacterial Communities and Metabolic Functions of Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Embryos].
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Researchers exposed zebrafish embryos to polystyrene microplastics with different functional groups (neutral, amino, and carboxyl) and found that surface chemistry significantly determines the degree of microplastic accumulation and disruption of gut bacterial communities and metabolic functions.
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Researchers exposed juvenile zebrafish to polystyrene nanoplastics combined with a high-fat diet and found that the combination caused gastrointestinal injury and disrupted lipid metabolism. The nanoplastics alone perturbed gut microbiota stability, and the effects were amplified when paired with a high-fat diet. The study suggests that dietary factors may influence the severity of nanoplastic toxicity, highlighting the importance of considering real-world exposure scenarios.
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