We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Effects of polystyrene in the brackish water flea Diaphanosoma celebensis: Size-dependent acute toxicity, ingestion, egestion, and antioxidant response
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers investigated the effects of different-sized polystyrene beads on the brackish water flea Diaphanosoma celebensis, examining ingestion, tissue distribution, and antioxidant responses. While none of the particle sizes caused mortality, the smallest nano-sized beads (0.05 micrometers) were widely distributed throughout the body including embryos and induced lipid damage. The findings suggest that smaller microplastics penetrate deeper into tissues and cause greater oxidative stress than larger particles.
Owing to the increasing usage of plastics, their debris is continuously deposited in marine environments, resulting in deleterious effects on aquatic organisms. Although it is known that microplastics disturb the cellular redox status, knowledge of molecular in marine cladocerans is still lacking. In the present study, we investigated the acute toxicity of different-sized polystyrene (PS) beads (0.05, 0.5, and 6-μm diameter), ingestion and egestion patterns, their distribution in the tissues, and their effects on the antioxidant systems in the brackish water flea Diaphanosoma celebensis. All different-sized PS beads showed no mortality at the concentrations used in this study. After 48 h of exposure to PS beads of different sizes, all microbeads were retained in the digestive tract, but the retention time varied according to the bead size. In particular, the group that was exposed to 0.05-μm beads showed widely distributed fluorescence (e.g., in the embryo, and probably in lipid droplets as well as the digestive tract). The transcriptional level and enzyme activities of antioxidants were modulated depending on the size of the PS beads, and lipid peroxidation was induced in groups exposed to 0.05 and 0.5-μm beads. These findings suggest that the size of PS beads is an important factor for cellular toxicity, and can induce size-dependent oxidative stress in this species. This study provides a better understanding of the molecular modes of action of microplastics in marine zooplankton.
More Papers Like This
Shape, size, and polymer dependent effects of microplastics on Daphnia magna
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers systematically tested how the shape, size, and material of microplastic particles affect the water flea Daphnia magna by comparing polystyrene particles to non-plastic control particles with similar properties. They found that small polystyrene beads and fragments caused harmful effects on reproduction and body shape, while none of the non-plastic control particles caused any damage. The study suggests that the toxic effects are specific to the plastic polymer itself, not simply a result of ingesting small particles.
Potential for high toxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics to the European Daphnia longispina
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers exposed water fleas (Daphnia) to polystyrene nanoplastics and found that 50 nm particles were thousands of times more toxic per unit mass than 100 nm particles, with effects comparable to highly regulated toxic chemicals. The results highlight how particle size dramatically changes nanoplastic hazard and challenge the assumption that microplastics pose low ecological risk.
Accumulation kinetics of polystyrene nano- and microplastics in the waterflea Daphnia magna and trophic transfer to the mysid Limnomysis benedeni
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers investigated the accumulation kinetics of polystyrene particles ranging from 26 nm to 4800 nm in Daphnia magna and their subsequent transfer to the mysid Limnomysis benedeni. Smaller particles accumulated more efficiently in Daphnia, and trophic transfer to mysids was demonstrated, confirming that nano- and microplastics move through aquatic food chains with size-dependent efficiency.
Toxicological effects of nano- and micro-polystyrene plastics on red tilapia: Are larger plastic particles more harmless?
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers exposed red tilapia to three sizes of polystyrene particles (0.3, 5, and 70-90 micrometers) to compare their toxic effects. The study found that the largest particles showed the highest accumulation in tissues, but all sizes induced oxidative stress, disrupted cytochrome P450 enzymes, caused neurotoxicity, and altered metabolic profiles, indicating that even smaller nanoplastics can cause significant harm to fish.
Potential for high toxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics to the European Daphnia longispina
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics caused high toxicity in three genetically distinct clones of the European water flea Daphnia longispina, highlighting the ecological hazard of nanoplastics and the importance of reporting exposure in particle count rather than mass metrics.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.