Polystyrene Nanoplastics Toxicity to Zebrafish: Dysregulation of the Brain-Intestine-Microbiota Axis.
Abstract
In animal species, the brain-gut axis is a complex bidirectional network between the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and the central nervous system (CNS) consisting of numerous microbial, immune, neuronal, and hormonal pathways that profoundly impact organism development and health. Although nanoplastics (NPs) have been shown to cause intestinal and neural toxicity in fish, the role of the neurotransmitter and intestinal microbiota interactions in the underlying mechanism of toxicity, particularly at environmentally relevant contaminant concentrations, remains unknown. Here, the effect of 44 nm polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NPs) on the brain-intestine-microbe axis and embryo-larval development in zebrafish ( Danio rerio ) was investigated. Exposure to 1, 10, and 100 μg/L PS-NPs for 30 days inhibited growth and adversely affected inflammatory responses and intestinal permeability. Targeted metabolomics analysis revealed an alteration of 42 metabolites involved in neurotransmission. The content of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC; dopamine metabolite formed by monoamine oxidase activity) was significantly decreased in a dose-dependent manner after PS-NP exposure. Changes in the 14 metabolites correlated with changes to 3 microbial groups, including Proteobacteria , Firmicutes , and Bacteroidetes , as compared to the control group. A significant relationship between Firmicutes and homovanillic acid (0.466, Pearson correlation coefficient) was evident. Eight altered metabolites (…
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Smaller nanoparticles exhibit a higher surface area-to-volume ratio, enhancing their chemical reactivity, biological interactions, cellular uptake, and tissue penetration.
“Smaller nanoparticles exhibit a higher surface area-to-volume ratio, enhancing their chemical reactivity, biological interactions, cellular uptake, and tissue penetration (Jin et al., 2019; Shin et al., 2023; Teng et al., 2022).”
From Deciphering the toxic effects of polystyrene nanoparticles on erythropoiesis at single-cell resolution (2025) · cites this paper as Teng et al., 2022
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“Smaller nanoparticles exhibit a higher surface area-to-volume ratio, enhancing their chemical reactivity, biological interactions, cellular uptake, and tissue penetration (Jin et al., 2019; Shin et al., 2023; Teng et al., 2022).”
- Authors
- Teng, M., Zhao, X., Wang, C., Wang, C., White, J. C., Zhao, W., Zhou, L., Duan, M., & Wu, F.
- Affiliations
- Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences (CN)
- Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (US)
- China Agricultural University (CN)
- Corresponding author
- Zhao, Xiaoli
- Wu, Fengchang
- ORCID
- Venue
- ACS Nano
- Publisher
- American Chemical Society (ACS)
- Published
- 2022-05-04
- Volume
- 16
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 8190-8204
- ISSN
- 1936-0851 (ISSN-L)
- 1936-086X
- OpenAlex
- W4229002987
- Cited by
- 311
- References
- 8
- Citations by year
- 2026: 62 · 2025: 103 · 2024: 84 · 2023: 51 · 2022: 11
- FWCI
- 14.83
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- Locations
- ACS Nano (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China (41521003, 41925031)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Microplastics and Plastic Pollution
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Environmental Toxicology and Ecotoxicology
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › Zebrafish Biomedical Research Applications
- Keywords
- polystyrene nanoplastics, nanoplastic toxicity, brain-gut-microbiota axis, zebrafish, embryo-larval development, neurotransmitter metabolism, DOPAC, dopamine metabolites, gut microbiota, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, intestinal permeability, inflammation, transgenerational effects, metabolomics, acetylcholine
- MeSH terms
- Bacillota, Gastrointestinal Microbiome, Microplastics, Animals, Brain, Polystyrenes, Water Pollutants, Chemical, Zebrafish
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