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Chronic exposure to polystyrene microplastics at environmentally relevant concentration induced growth retardation in Macrobrachium rosenbergii via multi-pathway toxicity: Oxidative stress, microbial dysbiosis, and biodistribution
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Researchers exposed juvenile freshwater prawns to environmentally relevant concentrations of polystyrene microplastics for 42 days and found significant growth inhibition, with a 15.6% reduction in body length and 29.6% decrease in body weight. The microplastics accumulated in gills, stomachs, intestines, and hemolymph, causing persistent mitochondrial damage, oxidative stress, and gut microbiota imbalance that did not fully recover even after the exposure ended.
This study investigated the toxic mechanisms of environmentally relevant concentrations (1 mg/L) of polystyrene microplastics (5 μm) on juvenile Macrobrachium rosenbergii, a freshwater species of economic importance, through a 42-d chronic exposure and a 14-d recovery experiment. The results showed that microplastics significantly inhibited growth, causing a 15.6% reduction in body length and a 29.6% decrease in body weight, and accumulated extensively in the gills, stomachs, intestines, and hemolymph (residue level: 4.777 mg/kg). Ultrastructural analysis revealed persistent mitochondrial swelling in gill filaments and shedding of intestinal villi, even during the recovery phase. Oxidative stress biomarkers (GSH-Px) and upregulated lipid metabolism genes (fas and acc) indicated metabolic dysregulation. Additionally, the gut microbiota exhibited significantly increased α-diversity, with an increased abundance of Proteobacteria (potential pathogens) and a reduction in Firmicutes (beneficial taxa), suggesting microecological imbalance. This study is the first to elucidate the multifaceted toxicity mechanisms of microplastics at environmentally relevant concentrations (1 mg/L), demonstrating that they suppress growth in M. rosenbergii through physical damage, oxidative stress, and microbiota disruption, thereby providing a scientific basis for pollution control in freshwater aquaculture.
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