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Combined effects of salinity and polystyrene microplastics exposure on the Pacific oysters Crassostrea gigas: Oxidative stress and energy metabolism
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Researchers studied how salinity levels affect the toxicity of polystyrene microplastics in Pacific oysters and found that low salinity reduced microplastic uptake but created complex interactions with oxidative stress and energy metabolism. Smaller microplastics generally caused more biological disruption than larger ones across all salinity conditions. This is important because coastal oyster habitats frequently experience salinity changes, and the findings suggest environmental conditions can alter how harmful microplastics are to shellfish.
Microplastics (MPs) pollution and salinity variation are two environmental stressors, but their combined effects on marine mollusks are rarely known. Oysters (Crassostrea gigas) were exposed to 1 × 10 particles L spherical polystyrene MPs (PS-MPs) of different sizes (small polystyrene MPs (SPS-MPs): 6 μm, large polystyrene MPs (LPS-MPs): 50-60 μm) under three salinity levels (21, 26, and 31 psu) for 14 days. Results demonstrated that low salinity reduced PS-MPs uptake in oysters. Antagonistic interactions between PS-MPs and low salinity mainly occurred, and partial synergistic effects were mainly induced by SPS-MPs. SPS-MPs induced higher lipid peroxidation (LPO) levels than LPS-MPs. In digestive glands, low salinity decreased LPO levels and glycometabolism-related gene expression, which was related to salinity levels. Low salinity instead of MPs mainly affected metabolomics profiles of gills through energy metabolism and osmotic adjustment pathway. In conclusion, oysters can adapt to combined stressors through energy and antioxidative regulation.
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Metabolic profiles and protein expression responses of Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) to polystyrene microplastic stress
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Researchers exposed Pacific oysters to polystyrene microplastics for 21 days and found the particles caused oxidative stress and disrupted the oysters' metabolism, particularly amino acid processing. Different microplastic concentrations triggered different metabolic changes in the oysters. Since oysters are a popular seafood, these findings raise questions about food safety and whether microplastic-stressed shellfish could affect consumer health.
Toxic effects of exposure to microplastics with environmentally relevant shapes and concentrations: Accumulation, energy metabolism and tissue damage in oyster Crassostrea gigas
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Researchers exposed oysters to irregularly shaped polyethylene and PET microplastics at two concentrations for 21 days and measured accumulation, energy metabolism, and tissue damage. They found that the microplastics accumulated in oyster tissues, disrupted energy metabolism, and caused histological damage, with effects varying by polymer type and concentration. The study suggests that environmentally realistic microplastic shapes and concentrations can cause measurable harm to commercially important shellfish species.
Microplastics and low tide warming: Metabolic disorders in intertidal Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas)
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Researchers exposed Pacific oysters to environmentally relevant concentrations of microplastics during a simulated tidal cycle and then subjected them to warming during low tide. They found that microplastic exposure disrupted the oysters' metabolism and made them more vulnerable to heat stress, with effects worsening over time even at very low particle concentrations. The study suggests that microplastic pollution may reduce the ability of intertidal shellfish to cope with rising temperatures.
Polystyrene as a vector of heavy metals in hard clam Meretrix lusoria under various salinities
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Researchers exposed hard clams (Meretrix lusoria) to polystyrene microplastics and heavy metals at three salinity levels, finding that clams at higher salinity (30 per mille) filtered significantly more water and accumulated more polystyrene particles and heavier metal loads, demonstrating that salinity amplifies microplastic vectoring of heavy metals into bivalves.
Effects of ocean acidification and polystyrene microplastics on the oysters Crassostrea gigas: An integrated biomarker and metabolomic approach
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Researchers exposed oysters to polystyrene microplastics of two sizes under both normal and acidified ocean conditions to simulate climate change. They found that ocean acidification and microplastics interacted in complex ways, with smaller microplastics under acidic conditions altering the oysters' metabolic profiles in their digestive organs. This study highlights that climate change may change how microplastics affect the shellfish many people eat.
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