Cited by 2,125Microplastics and Plastic PollutionEnvironmental Toxicology and EcotoxicologyPharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental Impacts

Uptake and Accumulation of Polystyrene Microplastics in Zebrafish ( Danio rerio ) and Toxic Effects in Liver

Lu, Yifeng, Zhang, Yan, Deng, Yongfeng, Jiang, Wei, Zhao, Yanping, Geng, Jinju, Ding, Lili, Ren, Hongqiang·2016·Environmental Science & Technology

Abstract

Microplastics have become emerging contaminants, causing widespread concern about their potential toxic effects. In this study, the uptake and tissue accumulation of polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs) in zebrafish were detected, and the toxic effects in liver were investigated. The results showed that after 7 days of exposure, 5 μm diameter MPs accumulated in fish gills, liver, and gut, while 20 μm diameter MPs accumulated only in fish gills and gut. Histopathological analysis showed that both 5 μm and 70 nm PS-MPs caused inflammation and lipid accumulation in fish liver. PS-MPs also induced significantly increased activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase, indicating that oxidative stress was induced after treatment with MPs. In addition, metabolomic analysis suggested that exposure to MPs induced alterations of metabolic profiles in fish liver and disturbed the lipid and energy metabolism. These findings provide new insights into the toxic effects of MPs on fish.

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Crossref · 10.1021/acs.est.6b00183

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  • In the laboratory, MPs can cross the intestinal barrier, travel through the bloodstream, and reach the liver.

    “In the laboratory, it was demonstrated that MPs can cross the intestinal barrier, travel through the bloodstream, and reach the liver [71].”

    From Is Wild Marine Biota Affected by Microplastics? (2022) · cites this paper as [71]

  • Nanoplastics have high surface to volume ratios and thus better adsorb toxic compounds and potentially transfer them to organisms after ingestion.

    “Nanoplastics are characterised by high surface to volume ratios and thus better adsorb toxic compounds and potentially transfers them to organisms aer ingestion.16,18,137,[147][148][149]”

    From The fate of plastic in the ocean environment – a minireview (2021) · cites this paper as [149]

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Authors
Lu, Y., Zhang, Y., Deng, Y., Jiang, W., Zhao, Y., Geng, J., Ding, L., & Ren, H.
Affiliations
  • State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse (CN)
  • Nanjing Normal University (CN)
Corresponding author
  • Zhang, Yan
  • Ren, Hongqiang
Venue
Environmental Science & Technology
Published
2016-03-17
Volume
50
Issue
7
Pages
4054-4060
ISSN
  • 0013-936X (ISSN-L)
  • 1520-5851
OpenAlex
W2295281563
Cited by
2,125
References
44
Citations by year
2026: 202 · 2025: 264 · 2024: 323 · 2023: 312 · 2022: 318 · 2021: 238 · 2020: 215 · 2019: 122 · 2018: 79 · 2017: 41 · 2016: 10
FWCI
45.57
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Environmental Science & Technology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China (20130091120012)
  • Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China (2014BAC08B07)
  • Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (BK20130559)
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (21407076, 21507058)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Microplastics and Plastic Pollution
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Environmental Toxicology and Ecotoxicology
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Pharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental Impacts
Keywords
polystyrene microplastics, zebrafish, microplastic ingestion, tissue accumulation, hepatotoxicity, oxidative stress, lipid accumulation, liver histopathology, superoxide dismutase, catalase, lipid metabolism, energy metabolism, microplastic size effects, gill, intestine
MeSH terms
Animals, Fluorescent Dyes, Gills, Liver, Male, Plastics, Polystyrenes, Zebrafish, Discriminant Analysis, Least-Squares Analysis, Oxidative Stress, Metabolomics, Metabolome

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