Microplastic exposure and effects in aquatic organisms: A physiological perspective

Abstract

The impact of microplastics (MPs) on aquatic life, given their ubiquitous presence in the water compartment, represents a growing concern. Consistently, scientific knowledge is advancing rapidly, although evidence on actual adverse effects is still highly fragmented. This paper summarizes the recent literature on MP impacts on aquatic organisms in an attempt to link routes of uptake, possible alterations of physiological processes, and outcomes at different levels of biological organization. Animal feeding strategies and MP biodistribution is discussed, alongside with relevant effects at molecular, cellular, and systemic level. Pathways from animal exposure to apical physiological responses are examined to define the relevance of MPs for animal health, and to point out open questions and research gaps. Emphasis is given to emerging threats posed by leaching of plastic additives, many of which have endocrine disruption potential. The potential role of MPs as substrates for microorganism growth and vehicle for pathogen spreading is also addressed.

Toward an Improved Understanding of the Ingestion and Trophic Transfer of Microplastic Particles: Critical Review and Implications for Future Research

“…Characterizing and quantifying the propensity for an organism to ingest microplastic particles can provide useful information in identifying species that may have physiological and behavioral traits making them susceptible to bioaccumulation of microplastic particles; for example, birds might ingest gravel to help grind hard seeds or bones in the gizzard (Day 1980; Reid 1981; Azzarello and van Vleet 1987; Kiorboe 2011; Carson 2013; Kiorboe and Hirst 2014; Schuyler 2014; Deudero and Alomar 2015; Peters and Bratton 2016; Ryan 2016; Mizraji et al 2017; Fossi et al 2018; Battisti et al 2019; Franzellitti et al 2019). In these instances, the relative size of the sample collected likely represents an important factor for assessing relationships between frequency of occurrence and key species‐specific traits.…”

“…Various concerns have been raised regarding the presence of microplastic particles within the gastrointestinal tract of an organism. For instance, the physical presence of particles may result in blockage of the gastrointestinal tract, which can negatively impact growth and reproduction and/or mortality (Gophen and Geller 1984; Wright et al 2013; Pedá et al 2016; Barbanera 2018; Franzellitti et al 2019). It has also been suggested that the accumulation of both macroplastic and microplastic particles in the stomach and/or gastrointestinal tract can lead the organism to feel satiated, resulting in decreased feeding, which will also negatively impact growth and reproduction and mortality (Thompson 2015).…”

Uptake routes of microplastics in fishes: practical and theoretical approaches to test existing theories

“…Despite their ubiquity in aquatic organisms, knowledge of the uptake routes of microplastics remains fragmentary 7 . For fish, several pathways have been suggested (Fig.…”

Microplastics and their associated organic pollutants from the coastal waters of the central Adriatic Sea (Italy): Investigation of adipogenic effects in vitro

“…It has been demonstrated that among HOCs, EDCs are commonly found on MPs, including abrasion beads, and easily released from plastic debris due to lower partition coefficients between plastic and water (Liu et al, 2016). EDCs accumulation in tissues of marine organisms, following their MP-mediated release, can thus exert adverse effects ranging from disruption of endocrinebased reproductive pathways to metabolic alterations (Franzellitti et al, 2019). In this last regard, a group of endocrine disruptors, named obesogens or metabolic disruptors, have been found to affect adipogenesis by perturbing peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (PPAR) signaling pathways (Grün and Blumberg, 2009).…”