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Low level of polystyrene microplastics decreases early developmental toxicity of phenanthrene on marine medaka (Oryzias melastigma)
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Researchers exposed marine medaka fish eggs to low levels of polystyrene microplastics combined with the pollutant phenanthrene. Surprisingly, they found that a very low concentration of microplastics actually reduced the developmental toxicity of phenanthrene, improving hatch rates and decreasing malformations. The study suggests this protective effect occurs because the microplastics reduce the bioavailability of the chemical pollutant, challenging the assumption that microplastics always worsen the toxicity of co-occurring contaminants.
Microplastics (MPs) have become global environmental concern. However, the effects of environmental concentrations of MPs, singly or in combination with organic pollutants, on the early development of marine fish remain unclear. In this study, fertilized eggs of marine medaka (Oryzias melastigma) were exposed to polystyrene MPs (0, 2, 20, 200 μg/L) and/or phenanthrene (Phe, 50 μg/L) for 28 days. The results revealed that MPs were accumulated on the chorion and ingested by larvae from 2 days post-hatching. High levels of MPs (20 and 200 μg/L) decreased the hatchability, delayed the hatching time, and suppressed the growth, whereas Phe inhibited hatching and caused malformations in larvae. The presence of MPs at 20 and 200 μg/L did not alter the toxicity of Phe. By contrast, combined exposure to 2 μg/L MPs and Phe increased the hatchability by 25.8%, decreased malformation and mortality rates, and restored Phe-induced abnormal expressions of cardiac development-related genes. The reduced early developmental toxicity could be attributed to the decreased bioavailability and bioaccumulation of Phe by the low level of MPs. These findings contradicted the view that MPs would aggravate the toxicity of organic pollutants, and future studies are warranted to elucidate the ecological risks of marine MPs.
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Bisphenol A decreases the developmental toxicity and histopathological alterations caused by polystyrene nanoplastics in developing marine medaka Oryzias melastigma
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Researchers found that bisphenol A unexpectedly decreased the developmental toxicity and histopathological damage caused by polystyrene nanoplastics in marine medaka embryos, suggesting complex antagonistic interactions between co-existing pollutants at environmentally relevant concentrations.
Microplastics decrease the toxicity of triphenyl phosphate (TPhP) in the marine medaka (Oryzias melastigma) larvae
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Marine medaka larvae co-exposed to polystyrene microplastic fragments and triphenyl phosphate (TPhP) showed reduced TPhP toxicity at the tested concentrations, suggesting that PS microplastics sequestered TPhP and reduced its bioavailability — the opposite of synergism seen in some other MP-chemical co-exposure studies.
Microplastics increase the accumulation of phenanthrene in the ovaries of marine medaka (Oryzias melastigma) and its transgenerational toxicity
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Researchers found that co-exposing female marine medaka fish to phenanthrene-adsorbed microplastics significantly increased the accumulation of the pollutant in ovaries compared to phenanthrene alone. The combination worsened reproductive toxicity by increasing follicular atresia and inhibiting ovarian maturation, and the pollutant was transferred to offspring embryos. The study suggests that microplastics may amplify the transgenerational toxicity of organic pollutants in marine fish populations.
Polystyrene microplastics modulate the toxic effects of bisphenol A in the early stages of zebrafish development
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This study investigated whether polystyrene microplastics affect the toxicity of bisphenol A (BPA) during zebrafish embryo development by co-exposing fish to both contaminants. The PS microplastics modulated BPA toxicity in complex ways—in some developmental endpoints amplifying harm, in others providing partial protection—underscoring the unpredictability of combined plastic-chemical exposures.
Complex combined effects of polystyrene nanoplastics and phenanthrene in aquatic models
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Researchers investigated the combined toxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics and the pollutant phenanthrene in fish cells and zebrafish larvae. They found that the interaction between nanoplastics and phenanthrene was complex and tissue-dependent, with nanoplastics increasing phenanthrene uptake in some cell types while decreasing it in others. Interestingly, zebrafish larvae experienced lower overall toxicity during co-exposure compared to single-pollutant exposure, suggesting the interaction dynamics are more nuanced than previously assumed.
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