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Polystyrene microplastics modulate the toxic effects of bisphenol A in the early stages of zebrafish development

Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology 2025 Score: 48 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.

Alessandra La Pietra, Alessandra La Pietra, Teresa Mobilio, Gianluca Fasciolo, Gianluca Fasciolo, Simone Moggio, Marco Trifuoggi, Simone Moggio, Gabriella Di Natale, Gabriella Di Natale, Gianluca Fasciolo, Angela Belletti, Angela Belletti, Gabriella Di Natale, Ida Ferrandino Marco Trifuoggi, Gabriella Di Natale, Marco Trifuoggi, Ida Ferrandino Paola Venditti, Gianluca Fasciolo, Gianluca Fasciolo, Paola Venditti, Ida Ferrandino

Summary

This study investigated whether polystyrene microplastics affect the toxicity of bisphenol A (BPA) during zebrafish embryo development by co-exposing fish to both contaminants. The PS microplastics modulated BPA toxicity in complex ways—in some developmental endpoints amplifying harm, in others providing partial protection—underscoring the unpredictability of combined plastic-chemical exposures.

Polymers

Body Systems

Cardiovascular Endocrine Nervous

Models

Zebrafish

One of the characteristics of polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs) is their hydrophobic surface, which allows them to carry other pollutants such as bisphenol A (BPA), known to be endocrine disruptor. This study investigated the co-exposure of 1 µm PS-MPs at 1.0 mgL with BPA at 25.0 µM on zebrafish development. The results on the toxicity parameters showed that PS-MPs and BPA during co-exposure had antagonist effects reducing their effects compared to single exposure, in hatching, neurotoxicity and heart rate. This trend was confirmed by an improvement in the expression of developmental genes observed in the co-exposed group. However, in redox homeostasis analysis emerged that, when together, PS-MPs exacerbated the effects of BPA compared to single exposure in redox homeostasis analysis. The findings showed a dual role of PS-MPs in modulating the effects of BPA providing new information on the risk associated with their simultaneous presence in the aquatic environment.

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