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The Potential Concentration-Dependent Effects of Tire Microplastics on the Earthworm Eisenia fetida
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Researchers exposing earthworms (Eisenia fetida) to tire-derived microplastics at four concentrations found significant increases in antioxidant enzyme activity — including catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase — indicating oxidative stress and immune system activation at environmentally relevant exposure levels.
Tire microplastics (TMPs) are ubiquitous in terrestrial environments and affect many soil-dwelling species like the earthworm Eisenia fetida. In this study, the enzymatic activity catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and glutathione S-transferase (GST) of adult (0.3–0.5 g) E. fetida was assessed after 14 days of exposure to four TMP levels: 10, 50, 100, and 200 mg TMP/g artificial soil. Using the ANOVA and Dunnett’s post hoc tests, significant increases were observed in the activity of CAT, SOD, GPx, and GST between the control (10.3, 242.7, 39.3, and 13.0 nmol/min/ml, respectively) and test groups (17.7, 331.0, 1.9, and 16.4 nmol/min/ml, respectively) while the MDA activity remained statistically similar among the experiments. The most remarkable changes were identified in the activity of SOD and GPx where the difference between the control and test groups became significant at all TMP concentration levels. Particularly, the E. fetida exposure to 100 and 200 mg/g TMP significantly (p value < 0.05) increased the activity of CAT, SOD, GPx, and GST, suggesting that the species immune system is stimulated via the production of hydrogen peroxide.
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Effects of Micro-Nanoplastics Exposure to Earthworms in the Soil System
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Researchers investigated how micro- and nanoplastic exposure affects earthworms in soil systems, examining toxicity mechanisms and interactions with co-occurring heavy metals and other contaminants. The findings indicate that MNP contamination can impair soil productivity and earthworm health, threatening the foundation of terrestrial food webs.
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