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Exposure to Polystyrene Nanoplastics Led to Learning and Memory Deficits in Zebrafish by Inducing Oxidative Damage and Aggravating Brain Aging
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Zebrafish exposed to polystyrene nanoplastics developed significant learning and memory problems, taking longer to navigate mazes and showing signs of accelerated brain aging. The nanoplastics caused oxidative damage, energy shortages, and disrupted the cell cycle in brain tissue. This study adds to growing evidence that nanoplastics small enough to cross the blood-brain barrier could impair cognitive function, raising concerns about long-term brain health effects from environmental nanoplastic exposure.
Nanoplastics (NPs) may pass through the blood-brain barrier, giving rise to serious concerns about their potential toxicity to the brain. In this study, the effects of NPs exposure on learning and memory, the primary cognitive functions of the brain, are assessed in zebrafish with classic T-maze exploration tasks. Additionally, to reveal potential affecting mechanisms, the impacts of NPs exposure on brain aging, oxidative damage, energy provision, and the cell cycle are evaluated. The results demonstrate that NP-exposed zebrafish takes significantly longer for their first entry and spends markedly less time in the reward zone in the T-maze task, indicating the occurrence of learning and memory deficits. Moreover, higher levels of aging markers (β-galactosidase and lipofuscin) are detected in the brains of NP-exposed fish. Along with the accumulation of reactive free radicals, NP-exposed zebrafish suffer significant levels of brain oxidative damage. Furthermore, lower levels of Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and cyclin-dependent kinase 2 and higher levels of p53 are observed in the brains of NP-exposed zebrafish, suggesting that NPs exposure also results in a shortage of energy supply and an arrestment of the cell cycle. These findings suggest that NPs exposure may pose a severe threat to brain health, which deserves closer attention.
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Nanoplastics Cause Neurobehavioral Impairments, Reproductive and Oxidative Damages, and Biomarker Responses in Zebrafish: Throwing up Alarms of Wide Spread Health Risk of Exposure
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Researchers exposed adult zebrafish to polystyrene nanoplastics and found that the particles accumulated in the brain, liver, intestine, and gonads, causing significant behavioral and physiological changes. The fish showed disrupted energy metabolism, oxidative stress, and altered locomotion, aggression, and predator avoidance behaviors. The findings raise concerns about the widespread health risks of nanoplastic exposure, as these particles are small enough to cross biological membranes.
Neurotoxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics with different particle sizes at environment-related concentrations on early zebrafish embryos
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Researchers exposed zebrafish embryos to polystyrene nanoplastics of different sizes at concentrations found in the environment and observed significant brain damage. The nanoplastics caused loss of neurons, shortened nerve fibers, and disrupted brain signaling systems that control behavior. Smaller nanoplastics caused the most severe damage because they could pass through protective barriers more easily, suggesting that the tiniest plastic particles pose the greatest risk to brain development.
Impacts of Environmental Concentrations of Nanoplastics on Zebrafish Neurobehavior and Reproductive Toxicity
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Researchers exposed zebrafish to environmentally realistic levels of polystyrene nanoplastics and found they caused both brain and reproductive damage. The nanoplastics disrupted neurotransmitter signaling and impaired the hormonal pathway connecting the brain to reproductive organs, with different effects in males and females. These findings suggest that even low-level nanoplastic exposure could affect both brain function and fertility in aquatic life that humans may consume.
Polystyrene nanoplastics (20 nm) are able to bioaccumulate and cause oxidative DNA damages in the brain tissue of zebrafish embryo (Danio rerio)
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Researchers microinjected 20-nanometer polystyrene nanoplastics into zebrafish embryos to simulate dietary or maternal exposure and tracked their fate over 120 hours. The study found that nanoplastics reached and bioaccumulated in the brain, causing oxidative DNA damage in the regions where they accumulated. The research team used transmission electron microscopy to image nanoplastics in a vertebrate brain for the first time, also observing increased mortality, developmental abnormalities, and elevated reactive oxygen species.
Polystyrene microplastics and nanoplastics induce neurotoxicity in zebrafish via oxidative stress and neurotransmitter disruption
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Researchers exposed zebrafish embryos to polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics and found that both particle sizes caused neurodevelopmental toxicity, with nanoplastics being more potent. The plastic particles induced oxidative stress in the brain and disrupted neurotransmitter levels critical for normal neural development. The study suggests that microplastic and nanoplastic contamination in aquatic environments may pose significant risks to the neurological development of fish.
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