0
Article Tier 2 Human Health Effects Marine & Wildlife Remediation Sign in to save

The Effects of Exposing Solea senegalensis to Microbeads with and Without Pesticides

Water Air & Soil Pollution 2023 9 citations

AI summary Read the abstract

Researchers examined the effects of microplastic microbeads alone and combined with the pesticides chlorpyrifos and triclosan on Senegalese sole, finding that microplastics altered acetylcholinesterase activity and modified the toxicity profile of co-occurring pesticides.

Abstract Microplastics (MP) are contaminants able to cause adverse effects on organisms. MPs are capable to interact with other environmental contaminants, including pesticides, altering their toxicity. The objective of the study was to research the sublethal effects (enzymatic activity) of pesticides alone and in combination with MPs. Cholinesterase enzymes are used as biomarkers to determine and evaluate the effects produced in organisms after exposure to pollutants. This study showed the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) enzymatic activity in the tissue of Solea senegalensis exposed to two environmental pollutants, the insecticide chlorpyrifos (CPF) and antibacterial triclosan (TCS) with and without microplastics (MPs). Solea senegalensis was chosen because it is a species in high demand because of its high economic value in southern Europe, as well as the use of this species in ecotoxicology and its increasing use as sentinel species, which justify using it to assess biological effects of pollutants. Toxicity tests were performed in organisms exposed to concentrations of between 5 and 80 μg/L CPF and 0.1 and 0.4 mg/L TCS for 96 h. In addition, each test incorporated MPs that were added at different concentrations in order to evaluate their role as a possible enhancer of the effects caused by the previous pollutants. In the case of CPF, the head and muscle tissue cholinesterase activity was inhibited from a concentration of 5 μg/L both without and with MPs, and the AChE enzymatic activity for the treatment with MPs was approximately half the activity for the treatment without MPs in the tissues studied. Besides, TCS inhibited the cholinesterase activity at a concentration of 0.3 mg/L in the muscle of S. senegalensis . In contrast, no significant differences were observed in the TCS + MP treatment compared to the controls. These results showed the importance of studies in assessing the anticholinesterase effects of pesticides combined with microplastics due to the abundance of these contaminants in the marine environment and the role of cholinesterase activity (biomarker) in the neurotransmission of key physiological processes.

More Papers Like This

Article Tier 2

Microplastic potentiates triclosan toxicity to the marine copepodAcartia tonsa(Dana)

AI summary Read the abstract

Researchers tested whether microplastics worsen the toxicity of triclosan — an antimicrobial chemical — on marine copepods, finding that microplastic potentiated triclosan's toxic effects, suggesting that microplastics can increase the harm of co-occurring chemical contaminants.

Article Tier 2

Can the toxicity of polyethylene microplastics and engineered nanoclays on flatfish (Solea senegalensis) be influenced by the presence of each other?

AI summary Read the abstract

Exposing Senegalese sole juveniles to polyethylene microplastics and bentonite nanoclays simultaneously produced complex interaction effects, with co-exposure sometimes attenuating and sometimes exacerbating individual toxicity endpoints, underscoring that nanomaterial and microplastic mixtures in the environment require combined-exposure testing frameworks.

Article Tier 2

Exposure to metals premixed with microplastics increases toxicity through bioconcentration and impairs antioxidant defense and cholinergic response in a marine mysid

AI summary Read the abstract

Researchers exposed the marine mysid Americamysis bahia to five metals alone and combined with microplastics premixed for varying durations, finding that premixing increased metal bioconcentration and impaired antioxidant defenses and cholinergic signaling more than either contaminant alone.

Article Tier 2

The Effects of Co-Exposure to Antifoulants and Microplastics on the Survival, Oxidative Status, and Cholinergic System of a Marine Mysid

AI summary Read the abstract

Researchers investigated how microplastics affect the toxicity of antifoulant chemicals copper pyrithione and zinc pyrithione in aquatic environments, where the presence of plastic particles can alter chemical behavior and bioavailability. Results showed microplastics introduce significant uncertainty into the toxicological assessment of these widespread aquatic pollutants.

Article Tier 2

Toxic effects of triclosan in aquatic organisms: A review focusing on single and combined exposure of environmental conditions and pollutants

AI summary Read the abstract

This review examines how triclosan, an antibacterial chemical found in many personal care products, harms aquatic organisms both on its own and in combination with other pollutants including microplastics. When triclosan and microplastics are present together in water, they can produce combined toxic effects that are worse than either alone. Since triclosan is widely used and microplastics are everywhere, their interaction in the environment is an important consideration for both ecosystem and human health.

Research digests by email

When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.

Email me about

Share this paper