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Pollutants bioavailability and toxicological risk from microplastics to marine mussels
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Researchers tested whether polyethylene and polystyrene microplastics could absorb the pollutant pyrene from water and then transfer it to marine mussels. They found that both types of microplastics readily absorbed pyrene and that mussels exposed to contaminated microplastics showed increased levels of the pollutant in their tissues along with signs of cellular stress. The study provides direct evidence that microplastics can act as carriers of harmful chemicals into the bodies of filter-feeding marine organisms.
Microplastics represent a growing environmental concern for the oceans due to their potential of adsorbing chemical pollutants, thus representing a still unexplored source of exposure for aquatic organisms. In this study polyethylene (PE) and polystyrene (PS) microplastics were shown to adsorb pyrene with a time and dose-dependent relationship. Results also indicated a marked capability of contaminated microplastics to transfer this model PAH to exposed mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis; tissue localization of microplastics occurred in haemolymph, gills and especially digestive tissues where a marked accumulation of pyrene was also observed. Cellular effects included alterations of immunological responses, lysosomal compartment, peroxisomal proliferation, antioxidant system, neurotoxic effects, onset of genotoxicity; changes in gene expression profile was also demonstrated through a new DNA microarray platform. The study provided the evidence that microplastics adsorb PAHs, emphasizing an elevated bioavailability of these chemicals after the ingestion, and the toxicological implications due to responsiveness of several molecular and cellular pathways to microplastics.
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Ecotoxicological risk of microplastics for marine organisms
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Italian researchers studied whether microplastics act as vectors for chemical pollutants by measuring how pyrene and cadmium adsorb onto polyethylene and polystyrene microplastics and transfer to mussels. They found evidence of contaminant transfer and cellular stress responses, raising concerns about the combined toxicity of microplastics and their associated chemicals.
Impacts of dietary exposure to different sized polystyrene microplastics alone and with sorbed benzo[a]pyrene on biomarkers and whole organism responses in mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis
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Researchers fed mussels polystyrene microplastics of two sizes, with and without sorbed benzo[a]pyrene, over 26 days and measured effects at cellular and whole-organism levels. They found that smaller microplastics caused more pronounced effects on immune cells and digestive tissue, and that the presence of sorbed pollutant amplified some impacts. The study provides evidence that microplastics can facilitate the transfer of hydrophobic pollutants to marine organisms with measurable biological consequences.
Effects of microplastics alone or with sorbed oil compounds from the water accommodated fraction of a North Sea crude oil on marine mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis)
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Researchers investigated whether polystyrene microplastics could act as a Trojan horse for oil pollutants in marine mussels and found that while mussels accumulated PAHs from crude oil exposure, microplastics alone did not significantly enhance pollutant transfer or cause additional toxic effects.
Polystyrene microplastics alleviate adverse effects of benzo[a]pyrene on tissues and cells of the marine mussel, Mytilus galloprovincialis
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Researchers investigated how polystyrene microplastics interact with the toxic pollutant benzo[a]pyrene in marine mussels. The study found that the presence of microplastics actually reduced the accumulation and toxicity of benzo[a]pyrene by approximately 6.7%, likely because the microplastics adsorbed the chemical pollutant and reduced its bioavailability in the water.
Bioaccumulation of emerging contaminants in mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis): Influence of microplastics
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Researchers investigated whether microplastics influence the bioaccumulation of emerging contaminants in Mediterranean mussels. The study found that the presence of microplastics altered how certain chemical pollutants accumulated in mussel tissue, suggesting that microplastics can act as carriers that change the uptake and distribution of other contaminants in marine organisms.
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