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Atlantic salmon gill epithelial cell line ASG-10, an in vitro model for studying effects of microplastics in gills
Summary
Researchers used an Atlantic salmon gill cell line to study how fish gill cells interact with polystyrene microplastics of different sizes. They found that cells could take up particles at 0.2 and 1.0 micrometers but not at 10 micrometers, and the uptake triggered increased activity in the cells' waste-processing systems. The study establishes this cell line as a useful laboratory model for investigating how microplastics affect fish gills without requiring live animal testing.
Microplastics are ubiquitous environmental pollutants frequently detected in aquatic environments. Here we used the Atlantic salmon epithelial gill cell line (ASG-10) to investigate the uptake and effects of polystyrene (PS) microplastic. The ASG-10 cell line has phagocytotic/endocytic capacities and can take up clear PS particles at 0.2 and 1.0 µm, while PS at 10 µm was not taken up. As a response to the uptake, the ASG-10 cells increased their lysosomal activity. Furthermore, no effects on the mitochondria were found, neither on the mitochondrial membrane potential nor the mitochondria morphology (branch length and diameter). Interestingly, even a very high concentration of PS (200 µg/ml) with all tested particle sizes had no effects on cell viability or cell cycle. The environmental toxin Benzo(a)pyrene (B(a)P), a known inducer of CYP1A, is highly hydrophobic and thus sticks to the PS particles. However, co-exposure of B(a)P and PS the particles did not increase the induction of CYP1A activity compared to B(a)P alone. Our study contributes to the understanding of the cellular effects of PS particles using a highly relevant Atlantic salmon gill epithelium in vitro model.