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The effects of nanoplastics and microcystin-LR coexposure on Aristichthys nobilis at the early developmental stages
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Researchers studied the combined toxic effects of nanoplastics and microcystin-LR, a harmful algal toxin, on bighead carp at early developmental stages. While survival and hatching rates were not significantly affected, the nanoplastics adhered to embryo membranes and the co-exposure activated stress-related gene pathways in the developing fish. The study suggests that the combined presence of nanoplastics and algal toxins in aquaculture environments may pose subtle but measurable risks to fish development.
Nanoplastics (NPs) and microcystin-LR (MC-LR) are two common and harmful pollutants in water environments, especially at aquafarm where are full of plastic products and algae. It is of great significance to study the toxic effects and mechanisms of the NPs and/or MC-LR on fish at the early stage. In this study, the embryo and larvae of a filtering-feeding fish, Aristichthys nobilis, were used as the research objects. The results showed that the survival and hatching rates of the embryo were not significantly affected by the environmental concentration exposure of these two pollutants. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation displayed that NPs adhered to the surface of the embryo membrane. Transcriptomic and bioinformatic analyses revealed that the NPs exposure activated neuromuscular junction development and skeletal muscle fiber in larvae, and affected C5-Branched dibasic acid metabolism. The metabolic and biosynthetic processes of zeaxanthin, xanthophyll, tetraterpenoid, and carotenoid were suppressed after the MC-LR exposure, which was harmful to the retinol metabolism of fish. Excessive production of superoxide dismutase (SOD) was detected under the MC-LR exposure. The MC-LR and NPs coexposure triggered primary immunodeficiency and adaptive immune response, leading to the possibility of reduced fitness of A.nobilis during the development. Collectively, our results indicate that environmental concentration NPs and MC-LR coexposure could cause toxic damage and enhance sick risk in A.nobilis, providing new insights into the risk of NPs and MC-LR on filtering-feeding fish.
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Scientists exposed silver carp to both polystyrene nanoplastics and microcystin-LR (a toxin from harmful algae) and found the combination caused more severe gut and liver damage than either pollutant alone. The nanoplastics shortened intestinal structures, changed gut bacteria communities, and disrupted liver metabolism. This is concerning because both contaminants are commonly found together in aquaculture waters, and the fish affected are widely consumed by people.
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Adult zebrafish co-exposed to polystyrene nanoplastics and microcystin-LR (MCLR) for 21 days transferred more MCLR to their offspring than MCLR alone, and the nanoplastic-enhanced MCLR parental load correlated with greater growth inhibition and developmental defects in F1 larvae.
Combined toxicity of nanoplastics and microcystin-LR to sulfate-reducing bacteria and the underlying mechanisms
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Researchers exposed freshwater aquaculture microcosms to polyethylene nanoplastics and the algal toxin microcystin-LR, finding that nanoplastics strongly adsorb the toxin and that combined exposure disrupts sulfur cycling bacteria more severely than either contaminant alone, raising ecological concerns for aquaculture water quality.
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Researchers co-exposed zebrafish embryos to polystyrene nanoplastics and microcystin-LR (a cyanobacterial toxin) and found that combined exposure suppressed lipophagy—a cellular process that breaks down lipid droplets—more severely than either substance alone. Disruption of lipophagy impaired early development, identifying this autophagy pathway as a novel target for nanoplastic developmental toxicity.
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