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The toxic effects of exposure to fibrous and fragmented microplastic in juvenile rockfish based on two omics approach
Summary
Researchers fed juvenile rockfish two different shapes of PET microplastics (fibers versus fragments) and found that fibrous microplastics caused stronger inflammatory and oxidative stress responses than fragments. Both shapes affected the fish's immune system and liver metabolism, but through different biological pathways. Since fiber-shaped microplastics are the most common type found in the environment, these findings suggest that the real-world health impacts on fish and the humans who eat them may be greater than studies using only plastic fragments would predict.
Although the hazards of environmental microplastics (MPs) are well known, it is unclear which of their characteristics have the greatest effects on organism. We investigated the toxic effects of oral administration according to physical properties, including the shape of fragmented polyethylene terephthalate (PET) (FrPET) and fibrous PET (FiPET) MPs. After 72 h of exposure, apoptosis and phagocytic activity varied significantly among juvenile rockfish (Sebastes schlegeli) exposed to both FrPET and FiPET. The levels of immune-related genes and hepatic metabolic activity also increased after exposure to both shapes of MPs, but the variation in responses was greater in fish exposed to FiPET compared with those exposed to FrPET. The transcriptomic and metabolomics analysis results indicated that the maintenance and homeostasis of immune system was affected by oral exposure to FrPET and FiPET. The amino acid metabolic processes were identified in rockfish exposed to FrPET, but the notch signaling pathway were evident in the FiPET exposure group. Metabolomics analysis revealed that oral ingestion of MP fibers led to a stronger inflammatory response and greater oxidative stress in juvenile rockfish. These results can be used to understand environmentally dominant MP toxic effects such as type, size, shapes, as well as to prioritize ecotoxicological management.