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Unveiling the underlying mechanism: Metabolic reprogramming and oxidative stress mediate nanoplastic-induced hepatotoxicity in a freshwater fish (Pseudorasbora parva)
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Scientists studied how tiny plastic particles (nanoplastics) affect fish livers and found that the smallest particles (80 nanometers) caused the most damage by disrupting the body's ability to fight harmful chemicals and process energy. The smallest plastic particles were especially harmful because they damaged the fish's natural defense systems and changed how their cells make energy. While this study was done in fish, it raises concerns about how these tiny plastic particles in our environment might also harm human health.
In this study, the toxic effects of nanoplastics with different particle sizes (80 nm, 200 nm, 500 nm) were systematically investigated using Pseudorasbora parva as a model. By integrating physiological and biochemical indicators, transcriptomics and metabolomics analysis, it was found that the toxic effects of nanoplastics were significantly particle size-dependent. Among them, 80 nm particles showed the strongest oxidative damage effect, which significantly inhibited SOD and CAT activities and induced metabolic reprogramming, manifested as the up-regulation of key glycolysis genes (LDHA, HK1) and significant disturbance of organic acid and amino acid metabolic pathways. The 200 nm particles mainly affect immune-related functions and may induce ferroptosis through the GPx4/PKM2 pathway, while the 500 nm particles cause extensive immunosuppression and inflammatory response. The results showed that 80 nm NPs caused the most serious primary physiological damage to the body by destroying the oxidative defense system and energy metabolism homeostasis, highlighting its special risks in the ecological risk assessment of NPs.
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Nanoplastic Exposure at Environmental Concentrations Disrupts Hepatic Lipid Metabolism through Oxidative Stress Induction and Endoplasmic Reticulum Homeostasis Perturbation
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A study in fish found that nanoplastics at environmentally realistic concentrations accumulated in the liver and disrupted fat metabolism, causing a condition similar to fatty liver disease. Smaller nanoplastics (100 nanometers) caused more severe damage than larger microplastics by disrupting protein processing in cells and triggering oxidative stress. These findings raise concerns that nanoplastics in the environment could affect liver health in fish and potentially in humans who consume contaminated seafood.
Nanoplastic contamination: Impact on zebrafish liver metabolism and implications for aquatic environmental health
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Zebrafish exposed to polystyrene nanoparticles for 28 days showed significant disruptions in liver metabolism, including altered fat processing, signs of inflammation, oxidative stress, and DNA damage. Notably, at lower doses the liver's detox enzymes appeared to break down the nanoplastics themselves, while higher doses overwhelmed these defenses and caused more severe injury.
Emerging microplastic and nanoplastic threats: Decoding winter survival mechanisms in hybrid groupers through hepatic metabolic disruption
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Researchers explored how microplastics and nanoplastics of varying sizes affect hepatic lipid metabolism in hybrid grouper fish during winter overwintering periods. The study found that polystyrene particles disrupted lipid metabolism, caused oxidative stress, and altered gene expression in liver tissue, suggesting these pollutants may compromise fish survival during metabolically demanding cold seasons.
Ecotoxicological effects of low-density polyethylene microplastic on Heteropneustes fossilis: behavioral, hematological, biochemical, and histopathological impacts
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Scientists exposed freshwater fish to tiny plastic particles (microplastics) from everyday items like plastic bags and found they caused serious health problems including blood disorders, organ damage, and weakened immune systems. The higher the amount of plastic particles, the worse the damage became to vital organs like gills, intestines, and liver. This matters because these same microplastics are found throughout our food chain and water supply, raising concerns about potential health risks for humans who consume contaminated fish and water.
Size-dependent internalization of micro- and nanoplastics induces pro-inflammatory and oxidative stress responses in marine and freshwater fish cell lines
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Scientists found that tiny plastic particles (microplastics) can slip inside fish cells and trigger inflammation and stress responses, even though the cells didn't die. Smaller particles got in more slowly but still caused problems, suggesting that as plastics break down into smaller pieces in the environment, they may still be harmful even if they don't kill cells outright. Since we eat fish and are exposed to similar tiny plastics ourselves, this research hints that microplastics could be quietly stressing our cells too, even without obvious damage.
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