Long-term PS micro/nano-plastic exposure: Particle size effects on hepatopancreas injury in Parasesarma pictum

With the widespread use of plastic products, microplastics and nanoplastics have emerged as prevalent pollutants in coastal aquatic ecosystems. Parasesarma pictum, a common estuarine crab species, was selected as a model organism. P. pictum was exposed to polystyrene (PS) particles of sizes 80 nm (80PS), 500 nm (500PS), and 1000 nm (1000PS), as well as to clean seawater (CK) for 21 days. Histological and fluorescent staining results showed that PS particles of all three sizes induced hepatopancreatic nuclear pyknosis, cell junction damage, and necrosis. The degree of damage was observed as 1000PS > 80PS > 500PS. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that major differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were associated with cellular processes, membrane components, and catalytic activity. The respiratory chain disruptions and immune exhaustion induced by 1000PS were notably stronger than those by 80PS and 500PS. Additionally, necrosis caused hepatopancreas injury in P. pictum rather than apoptosis or autophagy after long-term PS particle exposure. Furthermore, PS particles of all three sizes inhibited innate immunity, while the complement pathway was not significantly affected in the 80PS group. This study elucidated potential distinctions in how plastic particles of varying sizes (nanoplastics, microplastics, and micro/nanoplastics) impact P. pictum, providing a reference for toxicological mechanism research on microplastics and nanoplastics in aquatic organisms. Future research should focus on exploring long-term effects and potential mitigation strategies for microplastics and nanoplastics of more types and a wider range of particle size pollution in aquatic environments.