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Potential risk assessment of different sizes of microplastics on the digestive system of hybrid sturgeon
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Scientists fed tiny plastic particles to hybrid sturgeon fish and found that these microplastics damaged the fish's digestive system, changed how well they could digest food, and altered the helpful bacteria living in their guts. This matters because microplastics are everywhere in our water and food supply, and if they're harming fish this way, they could potentially cause similar digestive problems in humans who eat contaminated seafood or drink polluted water. The smaller plastic particles (1 micrometer) were just as harmful as the larger ones (5 micrometers), suggesting that even the tiniest plastic pieces pose health risks.
Microplastics are pollutants that are widely present in aquatic environments. This study utilized polyethylene microplastic particles of 1 μm and 5 μm to expose hybrid sturgeon (Acipenser baerii ♂ × A. schrenckii ♀), analyzing changes in intestinal ultrastructure, digestive enzyme activity, and gut microbial composition (based on high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA V3-V4 region). The results indicate that MPs of both particle sizes cause changes in intestinal ultrastructure and digestive enzyme activity. The alpha and beta diversity of gut microbiota in the exposed groups were significantly higher than those in the control group. At the phylum level, the relative abundances of Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, and Desulfobacterota significantly increased (P < 0.01); at the genus level, the abundances of Pseudomonas, Lactobacillus, Enterobacter, Desulfovibrio, HIMB11, and Muribaculaceae also significantly increased (P < 0.01). Furthermore, functional predictions of the microbiota indicated that the abundance of functions related to diseases, cellular processes, and organism systems increased in the 5 μm treatment group, while the abundance of functions related to genetic information processing significantly decreased (P < 0.05, FDR < 0.05). This study reveals the potential risks of MPs to the digestive physiology and intestinal digestive system of sturgeon, providing a basis for further exploration of the mechanisms by which different particle sizes of MPs affect freshwater fish.
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Potential Risk Assessment of Different Sizes of Microplastics on the Digestive System of Hybrid Sturgeon
AI summary Read the abstract
Hybrid sturgeon (Acipenser baerii × A. schrenckii) were exposed to 1 µm and 5 µm polyethylene microplastics, with smaller particles causing greater intestinal ultrastructure damage, reduced digestive enzyme activity, and more pronounced gut microbiota shifts than larger particles.
The toxicity of polystyrene micro- and nano-plastics on rare minnow (Gobiocypris rarus) varies with the particle size and concentration
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Scientists exposed rare minnow fish to polystyrene microplastics and nanoplastics at different sizes and concentrations and found that both caused growth inhibition, tissue damage, and disrupted gut bacteria. Interestingly, larger microplastics at high concentrations were the most disruptive to gut microbiome communities, while nanoplastics caused more oxidative stress. The study shows that the health effects of plastic particles depend on both their size and amount, and that gut health is a key target of microplastic toxicity.
Size-dependent adverse effects of microplastics on intestinal microbiota and metabolic homeostasis in the marine medaka (Oryzias melastigma)
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Researchers exposed marine medaka fish to different sizes of polystyrene microplastics for 60 days and found that particle size was a key factor in determining health effects. Larger particles (200 micrometers) caused weight gain and fat accumulation, while smaller particles (2 and 10 micrometers) led to liver inflammation and damage. The study also revealed that microplastics disrupted the balance of gut bacteria, particularly with larger particle exposure.
Microplastic-induced changes in the rainbow trout gut: Insights from transcriptomic, proteomic, and microbial approaches
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Scientists fed rainbow trout tiny plastic particles (from two common plastics, PE and PS) for six weeks and found real damage: gut bacteria balance was disrupted, digestive enzymes were suppressed, and stress and immune responses ramped up, effects that got worse with higher plastic doses. This matters because fish are a major food source and gut health, and this study shows microplastics can quietly harm digestion and immunity even without causing obvious, immediate illness, raising questions about what similar low-level exposure might do to other animals, including humans, over time.
Effects of waterborne exposure to varying concentrations of micro- and nano-plastics on liver and intestinal histology, antioxidant systems, and intestinal microbiota in Qihe River crucian carp (Carassius auratus)
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Scientists exposed farmed carp to microplastics and even smaller nanoplastics in water, finding both damaged the fish's gut and liver, disrupted digestion and gut bacteria, and slowed growth, with the tinier nanoplastics causing more harm. Since these fish are a food source, this raises questions about how widespread plastic pollution in waterways could affect the health and quality of fish we eat.
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