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Effects of microplastics alone or with sorbed oil compounds from the water accommodated fraction of a North Sea crude oil on marine mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis)
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Researchers investigated whether polystyrene microplastics could act as a Trojan horse for oil pollutants in marine mussels and found that while mussels accumulated PAHs from crude oil exposure, microplastics alone did not significantly enhance pollutant transfer or cause additional toxic effects.
Microplastics (MPs) can adsorb persistent organic pollutants such as oil hydrocarbons and may facilitate their transfer to organisms (Trojan horse effect). The aim of this study was to examine the effects of a 21 day dietary exposure to polystyrene MPs of 4.5 μm at 1000 particles/mL, alone and with sorbed oil compounds from the water accommodated fraction (WAF) of a naphthenic North Sea crude oil at two dilutions (25 % and 100 %), on marine mussels. An additional group of mussels was exposed to 25 % WAF for comparison. PAHs were accumulated in mussels exposed to WAF but not in those exposed to MPs with sorbed oil compounds from WAF (MPs-WAF), partly due to the low concentration of PAHs in the studied crude oil. Exposure to MPs or to WAF alone altered the activity of enzymes involved in aerobic (isocitrate dehydrogenase) and biotransformation metabolism (glutathione S-transferase). Prevalence of oocyte atresia and volume density of basophilic cells were higher and absorption efficiency lower in mussels exposed to MPs and to WAF than in controls. After 21 days MPs caused DNA damage (Comet assay) in mussel hemocytes. In conclusion, a Trojan horse effect was not observed but both MPs and oil WAF caused an array of deleterious effects on marine mussels at different levels of biological organization.
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Researchers investigated whether microplastics influence the bioaccumulation of emerging contaminants in Mediterranean mussels. The study found that the presence of microplastics altered how certain chemical pollutants accumulated in mussel tissue, suggesting that microplastics can act as carriers that change the uptake and distribution of other contaminants in marine organisms.
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Researchers exposed Mediterranean mussels to microplastics that had adsorbed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from contaminated harbor water and observed both physical and chemical hazard effects. The study found that microplastics acted as vehicles delivering PAHs to mussel tissues, causing cellular stress responses, immune modulation, and genotoxicity beyond what clean microplastics produced alone.
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Researchers tested whether polyethylene and polystyrene microplastics could absorb the pollutant pyrene from water and then transfer it to marine mussels. They found that both types of microplastics readily absorbed pyrene and that mussels exposed to contaminated microplastics showed increased levels of the pollutant in their tissues along with signs of cellular stress. The study provides direct evidence that microplastics can act as carriers of harmful chemicals into the bodies of filter-feeding marine organisms.
Polystyrene microplastics alleviate adverse effects of benzo[a]pyrene on tissues and cells of the marine mussel, Mytilus galloprovincialis
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Researchers investigated how polystyrene microplastics interact with the toxic pollutant benzo[a]pyrene in marine mussels. The study found that the presence of microplastics actually reduced the accumulation and toxicity of benzo[a]pyrene by approximately 6.7%, likely because the microplastics adsorbed the chemical pollutant and reduced its bioavailability in the water.
Exposure of marine mussels Mytilus spp. to polystyrene microplastics: Toxicity and influence on fluoranthene bioaccumulation
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Researchers exposed marine mussels to polystyrene microplastics alone and in combination with the pollutant fluoranthene to study their combined effects. They found that while the microplastics themselves had limited direct toxicity, they influenced how fluoranthene accumulated in and was cleared from the mussels' tissues. The study suggests that microplastics can alter the way marine organisms interact with chemical pollutants, potentially changing the risks these contaminants pose.
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