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Advances of microplastics ingestion on the morphological and behavioral conditions of model zebrafish: A review
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This review summarizes research on how microplastic ingestion affects zebrafish, a popular lab animal that shares genetic similarities with humans. Studies show that microplastics cause a range of harmful effects in zebrafish, including abnormal behavior, oxidative stress, immune disruption, and reproductive problems, with smaller particles and higher concentrations causing the most damage. Since zebrafish are used as a model for human health, these findings raise concerns about what similar exposure levels could mean for people.
Concerns have been conveyed regarding the availability and hazards of microplastics (MPs) in aquatic biota due to their widespread presence in aquatic habitats. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) are widely used as a model organism to study the adverse impacts of MPs due to their several compelling advantages, such as their small size, ease of breeding, inexpensive maintenance, short life cycle, year-round spawning, high fecundity, fewer legal restrictions, and genetic resemblances to humans. Exposure of organisms to MPs produces physical and chemical toxic effects, including abnormal behavior, oxidative stress, neurotoxicity, genotoxicity, immune toxicity, reproductive imbalance, and histopathological effects. But the severity of the effects is size and concentration-dependent. It has been demonstrated that smaller particles could reach the gut and liver, while larger particles are only confined to the gill, the digestive tract of adult zebrafish. This thorough review encapsulates the current body of literature concerning research on MPs in zebrafish and demonstrates an overview of MPs size and concentration effects on the physiological, morphological, and behavioral characteristics of zebrafish. Finding gaps in the literature paves the way for further investigation.
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This comprehensive review examines how microplastics affect zebrafish, a widely used laboratory model, covering impacts on the gut, liver, reproductive system, nervous system, and immune function. Researchers found that microplastics can cause oxidative stress, inflammation, and disruption of gut bacteria across multiple organ systems. The review highlights that zebrafish studies provide valuable insights into the biological mechanisms by which microplastics may affect freshwater organisms and, potentially, human health.
Biological Impacts of Microplastic Exposure in Zebrafish (Danio rerio): A Systematic Review Across Developmental, Physiological, and Neurobehavioral Endpoints
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This review pulls together 60 studies on how microplastics affect zebrafish, a small fish scientists use to model human biology, and finds that higher doses, especially of "weathered" microplastics broken down by sun and water, cause more harm to growth, organ development, brain function, and behavior. While this research is in fish, it matters for us too since zebrafish share key biological systems with humans, and these findings suggest that the tiny plastic particles now found in our water, food, and even our bodies could potentially disrupt similar processes. That said, scientists note more consistent research methods are needed before we can say exactly how this translates to human health risks.
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