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Size Matters: Ingestion of Relatively Large Microplastics Contaminated with Environmental Pollutants Posed Little Risk for Fish Health and Fillet Quality
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Rainbow trout were fed polystyrene microplastics (100–400 μm) contaminated with sewage or harbor effluent for 4 weeks, with liver biomarkers showing no significant oxidative stress and the fillet showing no change in oxidative stability during ice storage. The study concludes that ingestion of environmentally-sized contaminated microplastics poses little risk to fish health or meat quality under realistic exposure conditions.
In this study, we investigated biological effects associated with ingestion of polystyrene (PS) microplastic (MPs) in fish. We examined whether ingestion of contaminated PS MPs (100-400 μm) results in chemical stress in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) liver and we explored whether this exposure can affect the oxidative stability of the fillet during ice storage. Juvenile rainbow trout were fed for 4 weeks with four different experimental diets: control (1) and feeds containing virgin PS MPs (2) or PS MPs exposed to sewage (3) or harbor (4) effluent. A suite of ecotoxicological biomarkers for oxidative stress and xenobiotic-related pathways was investigated in the hepatic tissue, and included gene expression analyses and enzymatic measurements. The potential impact of MPs exposure on fillet quality was investigated in a storage trial where lipid hydroperoxides, loss of redness and development of rancid odor were assessed as indications of lipid peroxidation. Although, chemical analysis of PS MPs revealed that particles sorb environmental contaminants (e.g., PAHs, nonylphenol and alcohol ethoxylates and others), the ingestion of relatively high doses of these PS MPs did not induce adverse hepatic stress in fish liver. Apart from small effect on redness loss in fillets of fish exposed to PS MPs, the ingestion of these particles did not affect lipid peroxidation or rancid odor development, thus did not affect fillet's quality.
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Rainbow Trout Maintain Intestinal Transport and Barrier Functions Following Exposure to Polystyrene Microplastics
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Rainbow trout were fed diets containing polystyrene microplastics (100–400 μm, including virgin and environmentally-conditioned particles) for 4 weeks, with histological and functional assays finding no significant disruption of intestinal transport, barrier integrity, or immune function. The study suggests that relatively large microplastics do not impair key gut functions in fish even after chronic dietary exposure.
Polystyrene microparticles can affect the health status of freshwater fish – Threat of oral microplastics intake
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Researchers fed juvenile rainbow trout polystyrene microplastics at three dietary concentrations for six weeks and assessed multiple health parameters. They found that the highest concentration triggered immune responses, liver and gill damage, disrupted antioxidant balance, and reduced plasma proteins. The study demonstrates that oral microplastic intake can negatively affect the health of freshwater fish across multiple organ systems.
Size-Dependent Tissue Translocation and Physiological Responses to Dietary Polystyrene Microplastics in Salmo trutta
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Researchers fed brown trout polystyrene microplastics of different sizes through their diet and tracked particle distribution and physiological effects, including a recovery period after exposure ended. They found that smaller microplastics were more likely to translocate from the gut to other organs, and that size significantly influenced where particles accumulated. The study provides important data on how microplastic size affects tissue distribution and physiological responses in a temperate freshwater fish.
Size-dependent effects of microplastic on uptake, immune system, related gene expression and histopathology of goldfish (Carassius auratus)
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Researchers exposed goldfish to two sizes of polystyrene microplastics at environmentally relevant concentrations for 28 days. The study found that microplastics accumulated in gill, liver, and intestine tissues, causing damage that worsened with smaller particle size and higher doses. The results indicate that microplastics trigger oxidative stress and immune responses in fish, with smaller particles posing greater health risks.
No evidence of spherical microplastics (10–300 μm) translocation in adult rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) after a two-week dietary exposure
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Rainbow trout were exposed to spherical microplastics ranging from 10 to 300 micrometers to determine whether particles translocate from the gut into body tissues in adult fish. No evidence of microplastic translocation from the gastrointestinal tract to systemic tissues was found, suggesting that fish gut removal before consumption reduces but may not eliminate human dietary microplastic exposure.
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