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Are microplastics contributing to pollution-induced neurotoxicity? A pilot study with wild fish in a real scenario
Summary
In this pilot study, researchers examined whether microplastics found in the brains of wild fish from a polluted estuary were linked to neurotoxic effects. Microplastics were detected in 5% of fish brain samples, and the study measured the activity of an enzyme associated with nerve function. While the small sample size limits conclusions, the research suggests that microplastics reaching the brain could potentially contribute to pollution-related neurotoxicity in aquatic life.
Pollution-induced neurotoxicity is of high concern. This pilot study investigated the potential relationship between the presence of microplastics (MPs) in the brain of 180 wild fish (, ) from a contaminated estuary and the activity of the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) enzyme. MPs were found in 9 samples (5% of the total), all of them from collected in the summer, which represents 45% of the samples of this species collected in that season (20). Seventeen MPs were recovered from brain samples, with sizes ranging from 8 to 96 μm. Polyacrylamide, polyacrylic acid and one biopolymer (zein) were identified by Micro-Raman spectroscopy. Fish with MPs showed lower (p ≤ 0.05) AChE activity than those where MPs were not found. These findings point to the contribution of MPs to the neurotoxicity induced by long-term exposure to pollution, stressing the need of further studies on the topic to increase 'One Health' protection.