Ecotoxicological Effects of Chemical Contaminants Adsorbed to Microplastics in the Clam Scrobicularia Plana
Open accessAbstract
Although microplastics are distributed globally in the marine environment, a great deal of unknowns relating to their ecotoxicological effects on the marine biota remain. Due to their lipophilic nature, microplastics have the potential to adsorb persistent organic pollutants present in contaminated regions, which may increase their detrimental impact once assimilated by organisms. This study investigates the ecotoxicological effects of exposure to low-density polyethylene (LDPE) microplastics (11 – 13 µm), with and without adsorbed contaminants (benzo[a]pyrene - BaP and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid - PFOS), in the peppery furrow shell clam, Scrobicularia plana. Environmentally relevant concentrations of contaminants (BaP - 16.87±0.22 µg g-1 and PFOS - 70.22±12.41µg g-1) were adsorbed to microplastics to evaluate the potential role of plastic particles as a source of chemical contamination once ingested. S. plana were exposed to microplastics, at a concentration of 1 mg L-1, in a water-sediment exposure setup for 14 days. Clams were sampled at the beginning of the experiment (day 0) and after 3, 7 and 14 days. BaP accumulation, in whole clam tissues, was analysed. A multi-biomarker assessment was conducted in the gills, digestive gland, and haemolymph of clams to clarify the effects of exposure. This included the quantification of antioxidant (superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase) and biotransformation (glutathione-S-transferases) enzyme activities, oxidative damage (lipid peroxidation levels), genotoxicity (single and double strand DNA breaks), and neurotoxicity (acetylcholinesterase activity). Results suggest a potential mechanical injury of gills caused by ingestion of microplastics that may also affect the analysed biomarkers. The digestive gland seems less affected by mechanical damage caused by virgin microplastic exposure, with the MP-adsorbed BaP and PFOS exerting a negative influence over the assessed biomarkers in this tissue.
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MPs may adsorb environmental contaminants because of their lipophilicity and act as carriers for hazardous chemicals such as organic contaminants and heavy metals.
“Moreover, MPs may adsorb contaminants present in the environment because of their lipophilicity [24]; in fact, once arriving in the seawater, they change their nature in response to physicochemical and biological ageing processes [25] and, in this way, act as carriers for very hazardous chemicals (e.g., organic contaminants and heavy metals) [26,27].”
From Is Wild Marine Biota Affected by Microplastics? (2022) · cites this paper as [24]
The Introduction (page not provided) says microplastics sorb contaminants from seawater and act as vehicles for organic pollutants. It does not identify heavy metals as chemicals they carry. The lipophilicity and ageing clauses have separate citations in the citing sentence and are not assessed here. (LLM, conf=0.86)
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References 88 · Cited by 217
- Authors
- O'Donovan, S., Mestre, N. C., Abel, S., Fonseca, T. G., Carteny, C. C., Cormier, B., Keiter, S. H., & Bebianno, M. J.
- Affiliations
- University of Algarve (PT)
- University of Antwerp (BE)
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- Örebro University (SE)
- Corresponding author
- Bebianno, Maria J.
- ORCID
- Venue
- Frontiers in Marine Science
- Publisher
- Frontiers Media SA
- Published
- 2018-04-26
- Volume
- 5
- ISSN
- 2296-7745 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2801328371
- Cited by
- 217
- References
- 88
- Citations by year
- 2026: 11 · 2025: 30 · 2024: 28 · 2023: 26 · 2022: 40 · 2021: 43 · 2020: 25 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 2
- FWCI
- 7.68
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Locations
- Frontiers in Marine Science (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Platform voor marien onderzoek (Vlaams Instituut Voor De Zee) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Portuguese National Funding Agency for Science, Research and Technology (RCAAP Project by FCT) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (JPIOCEANS/0005/2015, UID/MAR/00350/2013)
- 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 › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Toxic Organic Pollutants Impact
- Keywords
- microplastics, low-density polyethylene, benzo[a]pyrene, PFOS, persistent organic pollutants, pollutant adsorption, Scrobicularia plana, oxidative stress, antioxidant enzymes, glutathione S-transferase, lipid peroxidation, DNA damage, acetylcholinesterase, gill damage, digestive gland, hemolymph, biomarkers, neurotoxicity, genotoxicity
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