We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Realistic microplastics harness bacterial presence and promote impairments in early zebrafish embryos: Behavioral, developmental, and transcriptomic approaches.
Summary
Researchers exposed zebrafish embryos to realistic microplastic fragments and fibers from bottles and textiles, both alone and combined with a bacterial pathogen. They found that microplastics adhered to egg surfaces and accelerated hatching, while fragments were more harmful to development than fibers. The study provides new insights into how microplastics interact with environmental pathogens to affect early life stages of aquatic organisms.
The plastisphere is a newly recognized ecosystem. However, its interaction with early life stages of aquatic vertebrates is a multifaceted issue that requires further research. This study investigated the involvement of bacteria in shaping realistic microplastics hazards in zebrafish Danio rerio embryos. Fish were exposed to bottle micro-fragments (FR) and textile micro-fibers (FI) of polyethylene terephthalate (5-15 μm), concomitant with Aeromonas salmonicida achromogenes challenge from 2h post-fertilization for 3 days. Egg chorion showed affinity for FR and FI, inducing earlier embryo hatching. However, this effect was masked by biofilm invasion. Fragments were more detrimental than fibers on developmental parameters, while bacterial presence compromised body length, eye, and yolk sac surface area. In a further finding, MPs alone increased locomotor activity in zebrafish larvae, without synergistic effect when combined with bacteria. Data showed that realistic MPs had no significant effects except for downregulated sod and cyp1a gene expression, whereas bacterial challenge inhibited larval potency for most of the evaluated mRNA levels (mpx (immune system), apoeb (lipid metabolism), nfkb and tfa (inflammation), cyp and sod (oxidative stress)). This study provides new insights into realistic microplastic effects under relevant conditions when combined with environmental pathogen within the first life stages of aquatic vertebrates.
Sign in to start a discussion.
More Papers Like This
Microplastics alter development, behavior, and innate immunity responses following bacterial infection during zebrafish embryo-larval development
Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics altered zebrafish larval development, behavior, and innate immune responses in a timing-dependent manner, with early embryonic exposure through the egg chorion amplifying susceptibility to subsequent bacterial infection.
Effects of pristine or contaminated polyethylene microplastics on zebrafish development
Researchers examined the effects of both pristine and pollutant-contaminated polyethylene microplastics on zebrafish development through chronic exposure. The study assessed how microplastics, both alone and as carriers of adsorbed organic pollutants, affect developing fish. The findings provide new insights into how contaminated microplastics may create additional routes for toxic compounds to enter aquatic food webs.
[Biological Effect of Microplastics with Different Functional Groups on the Bacterial Communities and Metabolic Functions of Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Embryos].
Researchers exposed zebrafish embryos to polystyrene microplastics with different functional groups (neutral, amino, and carboxyl) and found that surface chemistry significantly determines the degree of microplastic accumulation and disruption of gut bacterial communities and metabolic functions.
Effects of polyethylene microplastics on the microbiome and metabolism in larval zebrafish
Researchers exposed zebrafish embryos to polyethylene microplastics for seven days and found significant disruptions to their gut bacteria and metabolic function. The microplastics altered the balance of key bacterial groups in the gut, increasing potentially harmful species while decreasing beneficial ones. Metabolic analysis revealed changes in fat, cholesterol, and sugar processing, suggesting that early-life microplastic exposure can disturb both the microbiome and metabolic development in fish.
The Toxicity of Polyethylene Microplastic Exposure and Its Concurrent Effect With Aeromonas Hydrophila Infection To Zebrafish
This study exposed adult zebrafish to polyethylene microplastics while simultaneously infecting them with Aeromonas hydrophila bacteria, a common fish pathogen. Microplastic exposure worsened bacterial infection outcomes, suggesting that plastic pollution may reduce fish immune defenses. The interaction between microplastic contamination and disease susceptibility is relevant to understanding how pollution affects aquatic ecosystem health.