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Impact of polyethylene terephthalate microfiber length on cellular responses in the Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis
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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.
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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Researchers exposed Mediterranean mussels to polyethylene terephthalate microfibers at various concentrations for 32 days to evaluate reproductive and neurotoxic effects. The study found that microfibers accumulated in the digestive system, caused tubule atrophy, and disrupted reproductive and neurological biomarkers. Evidence indicates that long-term microfiber exposure may impair mussel health at environmentally relevant concentrations.
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Researchers exposed Mediterranean mussels to microplastics of different shapes (spheres, fibers, and fragments) and found that all types accumulated in the mussels but caused different toxic effects. Fiber-shaped microplastics changed shape inside the mussel tissue, and all forms altered the mussels' gut bacteria, immune gene activity, and DNA methylation patterns. Since mussels are widely consumed as seafood and serve as indicators of ocean health, these findings suggest that microplastic shape matters when assessing risks to both marine life and human food safety.
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