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“Biochemical impacts of polyethylene terephthalate microplastics and cadmium on Danio rerio under environmental conditions”
Summary
Twenty-one-day exposures of zebrafish to PET microplastics—alone and combined with the heavy metal cadmium—caused oxidative protein damage and disrupted energy metabolism, with the mixture producing worse effects than either pollutant alone. This synergistic toxicity is significant because fish in real-world waterways encounter microplastics and heavy metals together, making combined-exposure studies critical for assessing actual ecological and food-safety risks.
The escalating presence of microplastics (MPs) in aquatic ecosystems has sparked significant concern due to their detrimental effects on biota. A current debate revolves around the potential influence of type, size, and co-exposure with other contaminants on the toxicity of MPs. Here, two 21-day experiments with adult Danio rerio were carried out to verify the effects of different particle sizes of polyethylene terephthalate (PET-MPs) (300–425 μm and 53–75 μm), at two different environmentally relevant concentrations: 983 particles. L− 1 and 330 particles. L− 1, and to demonstrate the possible effects of Cd (10 µg. L− 1), 53 μm PET-MP (330 particles. L− 1) and their mixture (PET-MP + Cd), on a set of biochemical indicators: total proteins, carbonylated protein (CP), glucose, triglycerides, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and malate dehydrogenase (MDH) activity. During exposure, there was no mortality. For the largest size (300–425 μm) there was a significant increase in CP levels, and a decrease in glucose and LDH levels compared to the control in both concentrations. In the experiment with PET-MPs co-exposed to Cd, the CP levels showed a significant increase in the PET-MP + Cd group compared to the control and PET-MP alone, evidence of oxidative stress due to the addition of Cd. LDH levels decreased significantly when Cd was added to the PET-MP. MDH of the Cd group showed a significant increase when compared to the control group and PET-MP alone. Our study demonstrated that the toxicity of PET-MPs varied depending on the size, concentration, and combination with Cd.