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Reproductive toxicity and cross-generational effect of polyethylene microplastics in Paramisgurnus dabryanus
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Researchers exposed loach fish to polyethylene microplastics and found significant reproductive damage, including disrupted sex hormones, increased cell death in reproductive organs, and impaired sperm quality. The microplastics also accumulated in the gonads and transferred to offspring embryos, increasing mortality and malformation rates in the next generation. The study suggests that microplastic exposure can cause cross-generational reproductive harm in freshwater fish.
Pollution of microplastics (MPs) has become a global environmental issue due to the difficulty in its degradation and may cause unexpected ecological effects. Nevertheless, little is known about the potential effects of MPs on reproduction toxicity in aquatic species. In this study, adult loach (Paramisgurnus dabryanus, F0 generation) were exposed to two concentrations (1 and 10 mg/L) of polyethylene MPs (PE-MPs) for 15 or 30 days, and the toxic effects in parental loach and the offspring (F1 generation) were examined. Our results showed that PE-MPs exposure could change the indicators content of antioxidant system in the brain, liver, and gonad. PE-MPs can accumulate in the gonads, disrupt the transcription of HPG-axis related genes, alter sex hormone levels, increase cell apoptosis and gonadal pathological lesions, lead to the damage of biological characteristics of semen, and affect the reproduction in F0 generation. PE-MPs remaining in the parental gonads can be transferred to the F1 generation embryos and accumulated on the embryonic chorionic membrane, increasing mortality and malformation rates, accelerating hatching time, and decreasing hatching rate and body length. These results suggest that PE-MPs leads to a potential adverse influence on reproduction and serious impacts on population sustainability. This work provides a new perspective into the effects of MPs on reproductive damage and cross-generational effects in teleost fish, which have implications in fields of freshwater ecology and environmental toxicology.
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Polystyrene microplastics cause tissue damages, sex-specific reproductive disruption and transgenerational effects in marine medaka (Oryzias melastigma)
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Researchers exposed marine medaka fish to environmentally realistic concentrations of polystyrene microplastics and found tissue damage, oxidative stress, and sex-specific reproductive disruption. The effects carried over to the next generation even without direct microplastic exposure. The study provides evidence that microplastics at levels found in the ocean can cause lasting biological harm across generations in fish.
Polystyrene microplastics induced male reproductive toxicity and transgenerational effects in freshwater prawn
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Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics caused significant reproductive harm in male freshwater prawns, including oxidative stress in testis tissue, hormonal imbalances, and reduced sperm quality. Notably, the offspring of exposed prawns also showed reduced survival and weakened immunity even when they were not directly exposed to microplastics. The study reveals that microplastic exposure can produce transgenerational effects in aquatic organisms, passing harm from parents to offspring.
Transgenerational effects and recovery of microplastics exposure in model populations of the freshwater cladoceran Daphnia magna Straus
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Researchers tracked the effects of microplastic exposure across four generations of Daphnia magna and found that reproductive impairment and growth reductions persisted into offspring generations that were never directly exposed. The study suggests that microplastics can cause transgenerational effects in freshwater organisms, though partial recovery was observed when exposure ceased.
Mechanistic insights into microplastic-induced reproductive toxicity in aquatic organisms: A comprehensive review
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This review summarizes how microplastics cause reproductive harm in aquatic organisms by disrupting hormones, triggering oxidative stress, and interfering with cell death pathways. These effects lead to reduced fertility, abnormal egg and sperm development, and changes that can pass to future generations. Since microplastics accumulate through the food chain, these reproductive effects in aquatic life could have broader implications for ecosystem health and the seafood that humans consume.
Tissue translocation, multigenerational and population effects of microplastics in Daphnia magna
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This study examined how microplastics are taken up by the water flea Daphnia magna and whether exposure causes multigenerational effects, finding that microplastics can accumulate in body tissues and pass to offspring. The results suggest microplastic pollution poses risks not just to exposed individuals but can affect population health across generations.
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