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Genotoxicity and metabolic changes induced via ingestion of virgin and UV-aged polyethylene microplastics by the freshwater fish Perca fluviatilis
Summary
Freshwater perch fed UV-aged polyethylene microplastics showed greater DNA damage and more severe metabolic disruption in liver and muscle tissue than fish fed virgin (new) microplastics. The aged plastics disrupted energy metabolism, amino acid processing, and neurotransmitter levels. Since most microplastics in the environment have been weathered by sunlight, these findings suggest the real-world health risks to fish — and potentially to the humans who eat them — may be greater than lab studies using fresh plastics indicate.
The present study aims to compare and assess the toxicity induced by aged (irradiated with ultraviolet radiation for 120 days) polyethylene microplastics (PE-MPs) in comparison to virgin (non-irradiated) ones, after feeding the freshwater fish Perca fluviatilis. To this end, MPs mediated genotoxicity was assessed by the investigation of micronucleus nuclear abnormalities frequency in fish blood, and the degree of DNA damage in the liver and muscle tissues, while metabolic alterations were also recorded in both tissues. Results showed that both virgin and aged PE-MPs induced signaling pathways leading to DNA damage and nuclear abnormalities, as well as metabolites changes in all tissues studied. Metabolic changes revealed that the metabolism of nucleic acids, energy, amino acids, and neurotransmitters was more disrupted in the liver and by aged PE-MPs compared to muscles. Fish fed with aged PE-MPs exhibited greater DNA damage, while blood cells of fish fed with virgin PE-MPs seemed to be more vulnerable to nuclear abnormalities in relation to those fed with aged PE-MPs. Moreover, aged PE-MPs induced more acute overall effects on the metabolic profiles of fish tissues, and initiated stronger stress responses, inflammation, and cellular damages in fish tissues in relation to virgin ones. Characterization of both virgin and aged MPs revealed that the latter exhibited lower crystallinity and melting point, more irregular shapes and higher moiety of oxygen and carbonyl groups, which could be attributed for their observed higher toxicity. The research outcomes provide significant insights for advancing toxicological investigations in this field.