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Effect of an environmental microplastic mixture from the Seine River and one of the main associated plasticizers, dibutylphthalate, on the sentinel species Hediste diversicolor
Summary
Researchers exposed the marine polychaete worm Hediste diversicolor to a real-world microplastic mixture from the Seine River and to the plasticizer dibutylphthalate (DBP) for 4 and 21 days, assessing antioxidant, immune, neurotoxic, and metabolic biomarkers. After 21 days, microplastic-exposed worms showed oxidative stress and immune disruption, while DBP caused distinct metabolic effects.
The aim of this study was to explore the adverse effects of a microplastic (MP) mixture obtained from litter accumulated in the Seine River (France) compared to those of their major co-plasticizer, dibutylphthalate (DBP), on the sentinel species Hediste diversicolor. A suite of biomarkers has been investigated to study the impacts of MPs (100 mg kg sediment), DBP (38 μg kg sediment) on worms compared to non-exposed individuals after 4 and 21 days. The antioxidant response, immunity, neurotoxicity and energy and respiratory metabolism were investigated using biomarkers. After 21 days, worms exposed to MPs showed an increasing aerobic metabolism, an enhancement of both antioxidant and neuroimmune responses. Energy-related biomarkers demonstrated that the energy reallocated to the defence system may come from proteins. A similar impact was depicted after DBP exposure, except for neurotoxicity. Our results provide a better understanding of the ecotoxicological effects of environmental MPs and their associated-contaminants on H. diversicolor.