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In vitro characterization of cadmium transport across the gastro-intestinal membrane of the fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) in the presence and absence of microplastics
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An in vitro gut sac experiment using fathead minnows found that microplastics did not themselves cross the gut wall, and surprisingly, fish exposed to cadmium bound to microplastics actually absorbed less cadmium than those exposed to cadmium alone. This suggests that in some conditions microplastics may reduce — rather than increase — the uptake of certain heavy metal contaminants through the gut, complicating simple "Trojan horse" assumptions about microplastics as metal vectors.
There is concern that microplastics can act as a vector for cadmium through adsorption and desorption of free-ionic cadmium. Little is known about the uptake of cadmium following ingestion of cadmium-microplastic complexes. This study used an in vitro gut sac technique to investigate the translocation of cadmium across the gut barrier of fathead minnows following the simulated ingestion of cadmium, microplastics, or their complexed mixture. Microplastics did not cross the gut membrane, nor did microplastics alter the rate of cadmium translocation, which was estimated to be 1.2 ± 0.04 ng Cd / hour. Less cadmium translocated when cadmium-microplastic complexes were injected than the equivalent dose of only cadmium, indicating that the presence of microplastics was protective of dietary cadmium uptake. This work highlights the importance of considering dietary uptake and the role of microplastics acting as a vector for cadmium in aquatic environments and stresses the need to understand how environmental (digestive or ambient) characteristics govern cadmium-microplastic interactions.
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Researchers used isolated rainbow trout gut sac preparations to test whether polyethylene microplastics alter silver absorption in the intestine, finding that the presence of MPs did not change silver distribution across gut tissue compartments — likely because silver desorbs from plastic surfaces in the acidic stomach before reaching the intestinal absorption site.
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Researchers investigated whether microplastics act as carriers — or 'vectors' — that transport heavy metals into fish, potentially increasing toxic metal exposure through the food chain. This thesis examines how plastic particles in marine environments may bind to metals like lead and cadmium and deliver them to fish tissues.
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Researchers exposed zebrafish to PVC or polypropylene microplastics combined with cadmium, a toxic heavy metal often used in plastic manufacturing. The microplastics increased cadmium buildup in the fish intestines and worsened gut damage, including inflammation and disruption of the intestinal barrier. This is relevant to human health because people can be exposed to similar combinations of microplastics and heavy metals through contaminated seafood.
Effect of Microplastic Amendment to Food on Diet Assimilation Efficiencies of PCBs by Fish
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Goldfish fed food mixed with PCB-contaminated microplastics absorbed only slightly more PCBs than fish fed just PCB-contaminated food without microplastics. This suggests that microplastics may not significantly increase the amount of PCBs that fish absorb from their diet, though they do act as carriers.
Co-exposure with cadmium elevates the toxicity of microplastics: Trojan horse effect from the perspective of intestinal barrier
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When mice were exposed to both microplastics and the toxic metal cadmium together, the health damage to their intestines and liver was significantly worse than exposure to either pollutant alone. The microplastics acted like a "Trojan horse," carrying cadmium past the gut barrier and increasing its accumulation in the body, while also disrupting the gut microbiome.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.