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Diet preference of zebrafish (Danio rerio) for bio-based polylactic acid microplastics and induced intestinal damage and microbiota dysbiosis
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Researchers found that zebrafish actively preferred to eat bio-based polylactic acid microplastics over conventional petroleum-based polyethylene terephthalate microplastics, accumulating roughly 170 times more of the bio-based particles in their intestines. Both types of microplastics caused intestinal damage and disrupted the gut microbiome, but the higher ingestion rate of bio-based plastics led to greater harm. The study raises important questions about whether biodegradable plastics may actually pose equal or greater risks to aquatic life due to their attractiveness as a food source.
The ingestion of petroleum-based microplastics (MPs) by aquatic animals and their toxicological effects are of wide concern. However, the ecological risks of bio-based MPs to aquatic animals remain largely unknown. In the present study, zebrafish (Danio rerio) were exposed to MPs of polylactic acid (PLA), the most widely used bio-based plastic, and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a high-production volume petroleum-based plastic. PLA MPs were more actively ingested by fish than PET MPs. The abundance of PLA MPs in fish intestines was approximately 170 times greater than that of PET MPs after one day of exposure. The ingestion of PLA MPs caused gastrointestinal damage in zebrafish. In addition, the ingestion of PLA MPs induced specific changes in the diversity of intestinal microbiota and promoted species closely linked with energy metabolism, cellular processes, and fish diseases. This might have been related to the depolymerization of PLA in the digestive tract, which decreased the intestinal pH and changed the carbon source structure. Overall, bio-based MPs may have different ecological effects on aquatic animals than traditional petroleum-based MPs.
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Plastic food? Energy compensation of zebrafish (Danio rerio) after long-term exposure to polylactic acid biomicroplastics
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Zebrafish exposed to biodegradable PLA (polylactic acid) microplastics for 90 days accumulated more plastic in their guts than fish exposed to conventional PET plastic, and suffered more intestinal damage. Although the fish partially compensated by using the PLA breakdown products for energy, the study shows that bio-based plastics still carry meaningful ecological risks for aquatic organisms that can enter our food chain.
Effects of biodegradable and conventional microplastics on the intestine, intestinal community composition, and metabolic levels in tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus)
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Researchers exposed tilapia fish to both biodegradable (PLA) and conventional (PVC) microplastics for 14 days and compared the effects on their intestines and gut bacteria. Both types of microplastics caused intestinal inflammation and disrupted the gut microbial community, though the specific effects differed between the two plastic types. The study suggests that biodegradable microplastics may not be substantially safer for aquatic life than conventional ones.
Behavioral and biochemical consequences of Danio rerio larvae exposure to polylactic acid bioplastic.
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Zebrafish larvae exposed to polylactic acid (PLA) bioplastic particles for five days showed behavioral changes including altered locomotion and biochemical disruptions — and the particles accumulated in the larvae. The results indicate that PLA bioplastics are not harmless to aquatic life and deserve the same ecological scrutiny as petroleum-based plastics.
Microplastics accumulation in gut and revealing their impacts on nutritional quality and health of freshwater carp, Catla catla
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Researchers fed common carp (Catla catla) diets containing increasing concentrations of polylactic acid microplastics (PLA-MPs) — a type of biodegradable plastic — for 90 days, finding that at higher levels the fish experienced stunted growth, reduced nutrient absorption, altered blood cell counts, and intestinal tissue damage. The study demonstrates that even "biodegradable" microplastics can accumulate in fish and significantly harm their health.
Microplastics as vectors for microbial pollutants: Biofilm-associated transfer of pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes in zebrafish intestine
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Scientists found that microplastics coated in bacterial "biofilms" can act like tiny rafts, ferrying harmful germs and antibiotic-resistance genes into the gut, and surprisingly, "biodegradable" plastic (PLA) transferred more of these risky microbes than regular plastic (PP). This matters because it suggests eco-friendly plastics aren't necessarily safer for our health, and swallowing microplastics (through food, water, etc.) could potentially disrupt gut bacteria and contribute to the spread of antibiotic resistance, though this study was done in fish, not humans.
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