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Do microplastics and pharmaceuticals interactively affect mussels? An insight into uptake, tissue distribution and metabolomic profiles
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This study investigated how combined exposure to microplastics and pharmaceutical compounds affects mussels, examining uptake into tissues, distribution across organs, and changes to metabolism. Interactions between the two pollutants produced different effects than either alone, complicating risk assessment for real-world contamination scenarios. The findings highlight the importance of studying multiple pollutants together.
International audience
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Combined exposure of the bivalve Mytilus galloprovincialis to polyethylene microplastics and two pharmaceuticals (citalopram and bezafibrate): Bioaccumulation and metabolomic studies
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Researchers exposed Mediterranean mussels to polyethylene microplastics combined with two pharmaceutical drugs and found that the microplastics altered how the drugs accumulated in mussel tissue and changed the organisms' metabolic responses. The combined exposures caused different metabolic disruptions than single exposures, and not all effects were reversed after a recovery period. This highlights how microplastics in the ocean can interact with pharmaceutical pollution to create unexpected biological effects in seafood species.
Biomarker responses of marine mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) experimentally exposed to emerging contaminants: pharmaceuticals and microplastics.
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Researchers exposed marine mussels to the antibiotic clarithromycin, the antidepressant venlafaxine, and polystyrene microplastics alone and in combination, finding that the pharmaceuticals caused oxidative stress but that co-exposure with microplastics diminished these effects, likely because microplastics sequestered the drugs.
Elucidating the consequences of the co-exposure of microplastics jointly to other pollutants in bivalves: A review
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This review examines studies on the combined effects of microplastics and other pollutants in bivalves, finding that co-exposure often modifies individual toxicant effects and highlighting bivalves as important sentinel species for monitoring complex environmental contamination.
Combined toxic effects of nanoplastics and norfloxacin on mussel: Leveraging biochemical parameters and gut microbiota
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Researchers exposed mussels to nanoplastics and the antibiotic norfloxacin, both alone and together, and found that the combination caused greater biochemical stress than either pollutant alone. Nanoplastics appeared to carry the antibiotic into mussel tissues, increasing its bioavailability and impact on gut microbiota. The findings suggest that nanoplastics can amplify the toxicity of other contaminants in marine organisms.
Beyond carrier effects: Polyamide microplastics and TCPP jointly drive physiological toxicity in mussels at environmental concentrations
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Researchers exposed thick-shelled mussels to polyamide microplastics combined with the flame retardant TCPP at environmentally relevant concentrations. They found that the combined stress caused physiological toxicity through an adsorption effect rather than a simple carrier effect, with potentially irreversible damage to digestive glands. The study also showed that the internal bacterial diversity of exposed mussels was altered, indicating broader ecological consequences of microplastic-chemical co-exposure in marine environments.
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