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Article ? AI-assigned paper type based on the abstract. Classification may not be perfect — flag errors using the feedback button. Tier 2 ? Original research — experimental, observational, or case-control study. Direct primary evidence. Marine & Wildlife Sign in to save

Impact of polyethylene terephthalate microfiber length on cellular responses in the Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis

Marine Environmental Research 2021 57 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 55 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Jin Soo Choi, Jin Soo Choi, Jin Soo Choi, Jin Soo Choi, Jin Soo Choi, Kanghee Kim, Kanghee Kim, Kanghee Kim, Jin Soo Choi, Jin Soo Choi, Jin Soo Choi, Jin Soo Choi, Jin Soo Choi, Jin Soo Choi, June‐Woo Park June‐Woo Park Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, June‐Woo Park June‐Woo Park Jin Soo Choi, Kanghee Kim, Kanghee Kim, Jin Soo Choi, Jin Soo Choi, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Jin Soo Choi, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Jin Soo Choi, Jin Soo Choi, Jin Soo Choi, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Jin Soo Choi, June‐Woo Park June‐Woo Park June‐Woo Park June‐Woo Park Jin Soo Choi, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, June‐Woo Park June‐Woo Park June‐Woo Park June‐Woo Park Sang Hee Hong, June‐Woo Park Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Kanghee Kim, Jin Soo Choi, Kyoung-Il Park, Kyoung-Il Park, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, June‐Woo Park June‐Woo Park Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, June‐Woo Park Sang Hee Hong, June‐Woo Park June‐Woo Park June‐Woo Park June‐Woo Park June‐Woo Park Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, June‐Woo Park Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, Sang Hee Hong, June‐Woo Park June‐Woo Park

Summary

Researchers exposed Mediterranean mussels to polyethylene terephthalate microfibers of two different lengths at both environmentally relevant and high concentrations. They found that shorter fibers accumulated in lower intestinal organs while longer fibers remained in the upper tract, and both sizes caused DNA damage, oxidative stress, and changes in enzyme activity. The study suggests that microfiber length matters for toxicity, particularly at environmentally realistic concentrations.

Polymers
Body Systems

Many studies have investigated the toxic effects of microplastics in marine organisms, but most studied nano-sized round microplastics at high concentrations and were not environmentally relevant. To understand the cellular toxicity of polyethylene terephthalate microfibers (PET-MFs) by length (50 and 100 μm), Mediterranean mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) were exposed to environmental (0.5 μg/L) and high (100 mg/L) MF concentrations for four days. Short PET-MFs accumulated in the lower intestinal organs of the mussels, but long PET-MFs were only observed in the upper intestinal organs. Both sized PET-MFs affected necrosis, DNA damage, reactive oxygen species, nitric oxide, and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity. Significant MF length-dependent effects occurred at environmentally relevant concentrations for DNA damage (100 μm MFs) and AChE activity (50 μm MFs). However, length effects disappeared at the higher exposure concentration. The current study provides potentially sensitive indicators to detect MFs exposure and the ecotoxicological implications of MFs in marine ecosystems.

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