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3D imaging shows nano- and microparticles are internalized by salmon skin and corneal epithelial cells
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Researchers used advanced 3D imaging to show that nano- and microplastic particles can be taken up by salmon skin and eye cells. The skin cells, which serve as the fish's first line of immune defense, actively internalized the plastic particles. The findings suggest that fish may absorb microplastics directly through their skin, not just through ingestion, opening up a previously underappreciated route of exposure.
The rising problem of plastic pollution is becoming one of the major environmental issues for the world. In the ocean, plastics undergo degradation into smaller microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs). Wild fish and farmed salmon would likely be exposed to these NPs and MPs both through skin and through skin wounds. Keratocyte cells, located in the skin epithelial layer, are scavenger cells which may remove foreign materials and maintain the salmon’s health. They are therefore first in line to handle and to suffer from MP and NP exposure. While the impacts of MPs have been well studied in many different organisms, much less is known about the effects of NP exposure, particularly at the subcellular level. Here, we have used holotomographic and fluorescence microscopy to show that both skin and corneal salmon keratocyte cells fully internalize 500–1000 nm polystyrene particles, as well as inorganic 500 nm silica particles. The fact that corneal epithelial cells also take up particles is novel. Furthermore, some of these particles likely end up in lysosomal compartments within 2 hours of exposure. Here, we show that both conventional and new modalities of microscopy have a role to play to understand how micro- and nano particles affect epithelial cells.
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Uptake of different-sized microplastic particles in skin and corneal epithelial cells from Atlantic salmon
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Scientists found that skin and eye cells from salmon can absorb surprisingly large microplastic particles—up to 15 micrometers wide for single cells, and even bigger (30 micrometers) when cells team up in groups. Most cells survived this exposure and kept their protective membranes intact, though some larger particles caused changes to the cell's nucleus that need further study. Since fish are a major food source and share basic cell biology with humans, this research helps scientists understand how microplastics might interact with living tissue—an early step toward understanding what this pollution could mean for the animals we eat and, potentially, our own health.
Additional file 3 of Uptake of different-sized microplastic particles in skin and corneal epithelial cells from Atlantic salmon
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This supplementary video shows tiny plastic particles (about the width of a human hair) being carried along inside salmon skin cells as they move, suggesting the cells actively transport the particles rather than just trapping them passively. While this study focuses on fish, it helps scientists understand how microplastics might get absorbed through skin and other tissues in animals—research that could eventually inform how these particles interact with human cells too.
Additional file 3 of Uptake of different-sized microplastic particles in skin and corneal epithelial cells from Atlantic salmon
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Note: this file is actually a supplementary video clip, not a full study — it shows tiny plastic beads (about the width of a fine human hair) being carried along by moving skin cells from salmon in a lab dish. It offers a small visual clue that microplastics can get pulled inside cells rather than just sitting on the surface, but on its own it doesn't tell us how this affects fish or human health — that would require the full study for context.
Uptake of different-sized microplastic particles in skin and corneal epithelial cells from Atlantic salmon
AI summary Read the abstract
Scientists found that skin and eye cells from salmon can absorb surprisingly large microplastic particles—up to 15 micrometers wide (about the size of some human cells)—and when cells team up in sheets, they can handle even bigger pieces. Surprisingly, most cells survived this exposure with their outer membranes intact, though larger particles did cause some distortion to the cells' internal structures. Since salmon are a major food source and share similar cell types with humans, this research helps scientists understand how microplastics might interact with living tissue, which is an important step in figuring out potential risks for both marine animals and the people who eat them.
Uptake of different-sized microplastic particles in skin and corneal epithelial cells from Atlantic salmon
AI summary Read the abstract
Scientists found that skin and eye cells from salmon can absorb surprisingly large microplastic particles—up to 15 micrometers wide (about the size of some human cells)—and when cells team up in groups, they can even engulf pieces twice that size. The good news: most cells survived the exposure with intact outer membranes, though larger particles did cause some distortion to the cell's nucleus. Since fish are a major food source and share basic biology with humans, this research helps scientists understand how microplastics might interact with living tissue more broadly, including our own.
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