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Microplastic ingestion in reared aquaculture fish: Biological responses to low-density polyethylene controlled diets in Sparus aurata
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Researchers fed gilthead seabream fish diets enriched with virgin and weathered polyethylene microplastics for three months, followed by one month of clean feeding. Microplastic ingestion increased over time, with weathered particles accumulating more, but all particles were fully cleared from the digestive tract after the detoxification period. The study found no long-term effects on fish growth or body condition, suggesting that this species does not retain ingested microplastics in its digestive system over time.
During the last years, ingestion of microplastics (MPs) has been quantified in marine species both with an ecological and commercial interest at sea and under experimental conditions, highlighting the importance to assess MP ingestion in commercially and aquaculture important species such as gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) fish. In order to study the ingestion of MPs in a commercially valuable species, gilthead seabreams were exposed to an enriched diet with virgin and weathered low-density polyethylene (LDPE) pellets for three months followed by a detoxification period of one month of no exposure to MP enriched diets. Our results indicate that MP ingestion in these fishes increased with exposure time, and differences were found between treatments, showing the highest ingestion values after three months of exposure to MP enriched diets and in the weathered treatment. However, after one month of detoxification, no MPs were found in the gastrointestinal tracts of fish, reflecting no long-term retention of MPs in Sparus aurata digestive system. According to results from this study, exposure of fish to MP enriched diets does not affect fish size neither the Fulton's condition index as both parameters increased with time in all treatments (control, virgin and weathered). Both carbon and nitrogen isotopic signatures decreased with fish size in all treatments which could be related to an increase of nitrogen deposition efficiency in fish muscle with a high protein assimilation during the first months of Sparus aurata.
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Researchers assessed the effects of 90-day microplastic exposure followed by a 30-day recovery period on gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata). The study found that long-term ingestion of low-density polyethylene microplastics induced oxidative stress and inflammatory responses in the liver and blood, and that some biomarkers did not fully recover during the depuration period, suggesting persistent biological effects.
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Researchers fed juvenile gilthead sea bream diets enriched with virgin and weathered microplastics for 21 days and assessed physiological and behavioral effects. The study found that weathered microplastics caused greater cellular stress and antioxidant enzyme activation in liver and brain tissue, and that microplastic-exposed fish became significantly bolder during social interactions, suggesting both physiological and behavioral consequences of microplastic ingestion.
Long-term exposure to microplastics induces oxidative stress and a pro-inflammatory response in the gut of Sparus aurata Linnaeus, 1758
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Researchers fed gilthead seabream a diet containing low-density polyethylene microplastics for 90 days and found progressive increases in oxidative stress biomarkers, inflammatory enzyme activity, and tissue damage in the gut. After a 30-day depuration period, most biomarker values returned toward normal levels, indicating some recovery capacity. The study demonstrates that long-term microplastic ingestion can induce sustained oxidative stress and inflammation in fish intestines.
Long-term exposure to virgin and seawater exposed microplastic enriched-diet causes liver oxidative stress and inflammation in gilthead seabream Sparus aurata, Linnaeus 1758
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Researchers fed gilthead seabream fish a diet containing low-density polyethylene microplastics for 90 days to study long-term effects on liver health. The study found progressive increases in oxidative stress and inflammation markers in the liver, with seawater-exposed microplastics causing more damage than pristine ones, likely due to pollutants absorbed from the ocean. Encouragingly, these harmful effects were reversed after 30 days of feeding the fish a clean diet.
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