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“Biochemical impacts of polyethylene terephthalate microplastics and cadmium on Danio rerio under environmental conditions”
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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.
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Researchers examined how polyethylene microplastics absorb and release cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, in freshwater conditions, finding that acidic environments can cause near-complete release of cadmium back into the water. This raises concern that microplastics carrying heavy metals could deliver those toxins to aquatic organisms through their digestive systems.
Interactions Between Microplastic and Heavy Metals in the Aquatic Environment: Implications for Toxicity and Mitigation Strategies
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This review examined how microplastics interact with heavy metals in aquatic environments, showing that temperature, pH, salinity, polymer type, and particle size modulate adsorption, desorption, and combined toxicity, with MPs acting as mobile heavy metal carriers throughout aquatic food webs. Understanding the synergistic toxicity of MPs and heavy metals is essential because their combined effects on aquatic organisms—and on humans consuming contaminated seafood—likely exceed the hazard of either pollutant alone.
Feeding, excretion, survival, and histological alterations in zebrafish Danio rerio from single and combined exposure to microplastics and copper
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Researchers exposed zebrafish to microplastics and copper individually and in combination over 14 days, finding that combined exposure caused the most severe histological damage across multiple organ systems including skin, gills, intestine, liver, and kidneys, while microplastic excretion rates declined over time and copper tissue levels were unaffected by co-exposure.
Acute Effects of Size Dependent Low-Density Polyethylene Microplastics on Zebrafish
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Zebrafish embryos exposed to low-density polyethylene microplastics for 48 hours accumulated particles in their gut, experienced reduced hatching rates, increased heart rates, and significant tissue damage, with smaller particles causing the most harm. These acute effects in a widely used model organism suggest that even brief early-life exposure to plastic particles can disrupt normal development.
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