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How much are microplastics harmful to the health of amphibians? A study with pristine polyethylene microplastics and Physalaemus cuvieri
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Researchers exposed frog tadpoles (Physalaemus cuvieri) to polyethylene microplastics and found significant harmful effects including DNA damage, cell toxicity, and abnormal physical development. The microplastics accumulated in multiple tissues including the gills, gut, liver, muscle, and blood. The study provides some of the first evidence that microplastics can affect amphibian health, adding to concerns about their impact on freshwater wildlife.
Microplastics (MPs) are critical emerging pollutants found in the environment worldwide; however, its toxicity in aquatic in amphibians, is poorly known. Thus, the aim of the present study is to assess the toxicological potential of polyethylene microplastics (PE MPs) in Physalaemus cuvieri tadpoles. According to the results, tadpoles' exposure to MP PE at concentration 60 mg/L for 7 days led to mutagenic effects, which were evidenced by the increased number of abnormalities observed in nuclear erythrocytes. The small size of erythrocytes and their nuclei area, perimeter, width, length, and radius, as well as the lower nucleus/cytoplasm ratio observed in tadpoles exposed to PE MPs confirmed its cytotoxicity. External morphological changes observed in the animal models included reduced ratio between total length and mouth-cloaca distance, caudal length, ocular area, mouth area, among others. PE MPs increased the number of melanophores in the skin and pigmentation rate in the assessed areas. Finally, PE MPs were found in gills, gastrointestinal tract, liver, muscle tissues of the tail and in the blood, a fact that confirmed MP accumulation by tadpoles. Therefore, the present study pioneering evidenced how MPs can affect the health of amphibians.
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Physalaemus cuvieri tadpoles exposed to pristine polyethylene microplastics showed hepatotoxicity, including liver cell vacuolation and oxidative stress, demonstrating that microplastic ingestion causes measurable liver damage in amphibian larvae even without chemical additives.
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This review summarizes existing research on microplastic contamination in amphibians like frogs and salamanders, finding that over 80% of studied species had accumulated microplastics. The particles persisted in organs, showed toxic and gene-damaging effects, and could transfer through the food chain. Since amphibians are indicators of environmental health, widespread microplastic accumulation in these animals signals broader ecosystem contamination that can ultimately affect human food and water sources.
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Researchers exposed Physalaemus cuvieri tadpoles to polyethylene microplastics for 7 days and found altered locomotion behavior — reduced activity and increased erratic swimming — suggesting that short-term microplastic exposure can impair motor behavior in amphibians.
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This review summarizes research on how microplastics affect amphibians, which are considered important indicator species for freshwater pollution. Researchers found evidence that microplastics can impair amphibian growth, immune function, and gene expression, with effects varying by species and particle characteristics. The findings raise concerns about the vulnerability of amphibian populations already threatened by habitat loss and other environmental stressors.
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Researchers exposed frog tadpoles to three types of microplastics -- polypropylene, polystyrene, and polyethylene -- and found that polyethylene and polystyrene caused the most harm, significantly reducing metamorphosis rates, body weight, and body length. These two plastics also caused visible liver tissue damage and altered gut bacterial communities compared to controls. The study reveals that different types of microplastics can have very different levels of toxicity to developing amphibians.
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