Effects of polyethylene microplastics on the microbiome and metabolism in larval zebrafish. 2021

Yao Zhao, and Zhen Qin, and Zhuizui Huang, and Zhiwei Bao, and Ting Luo, and Yuanxiang Jin
College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310032, China.

Various microplastics (MPs) are found in the environment and organisms. MP residues in organisms can affect health; however, their impacts on metabolism in aquatic organisms remain unclear. In this study, zebrafish embryos were exposed to polyethylene MPs with sizes ranging from 1 to 4 μm at concentrations of 0, 10, 100, and 1000 μg/L for 7 days. Through qPCR technology, the results indicated that zebrafish exposed to polyethylene MPs exhibited significant change in microbes of the phyla Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, and Verrucomicrobia, etc. Moreover, 16S RNA gene sequencing revealed that there was a significant difference in alpha diversity between the control and 1000 μg/L MP-treated groups. At the genus level, the abundance of Aeromonas, Shewanella, Microbacterium, Nevskia and Methyloversatilis have increased remarkably. Conversely, the abundance of Pseudomonas, Ralstonia and Stenotrophomonas were significant reduction after MPs exposure. In addition, the levels of TG (triglyceride), TCHO (total cholesterol), NEFA (nonesterified fatty acid), TBA (total bile acid), GLU (glucose) and pyruvic acid significantly changed in MP-treated larval zebrafish, indicating that their metabolism was disturbed by MPs. Transcriptional levels of glucose and lipid metabolism-related genes showed a decreasing trend. Furthermore, LC/MS-based nontargeted metabolomics analysis demonstrated that a total of 59 phospholipid-related substances exhibited significant changes in larval fish treated with 1000 μg/L MPs. The mRNA levels of phospholipid metabolism-related genes were also obviously changed. Pearson correlation analysis indicated that the abundance of Aeromonas, Shewanella and Chitinibacter bacteria showed a negative correlation with most phospholipids, while Nevskia, Parvibacter and Lysobacter showed a positive correlation with most phospholipids. Based on these results, it is suggested that 1-4 μm PE-MPs could impact the microbiome and metabolism of larval zebrafish. All of these results indicated that the health risk of MPs cannot be ignored.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007814 Larva Wormlike or grublike stage, following the egg in the life cycle of insects, worms, and other metamorphosing animals. Maggots,Tadpoles,Larvae,Maggot,Tadpole
D010969 Plastics Polymeric materials (usually organic) of large molecular weight which can be shaped by flow. Plastic usually refers to the final product with fillers, plasticizers, pigments, and stabilizers included (versus the resin, the homogeneous polymeric starting material). (McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 4th ed) Plastic
D000080545 Microplastics Plastic particles, less than 5 millimeters in diameter, that are generated from the degradation of larger pieces or are manufactured to be microstructures or smaller. Mesoplastics,Plastic Microparticles,Plastic Nanoparticles,Mesoplastic,Microparticle, Plastic,Microparticles, Plastic,Microplastic,Nanoparticle, Plastic,Nanoparticles, Plastic,Plastic Microparticle,Plastic Nanoparticle
D000818 Animals Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA. Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D014874 Water Pollutants, Chemical Chemical compounds which pollute the water of rivers, streams, lakes, the sea, reservoirs, or other bodies of water. Chemical Water Pollutants,Landfill Leachate,Leachate, Landfill,Pollutants, Chemical Water
D015027 Zebrafish An exotic species of the family CYPRINIDAE, originally from Asia, that has been introduced in North America. Zebrafish is a model organism for drug assay and cancer research. Brachydanio rerio,Danio rerio,B. rerio,D. rerio,Zebra Fish,Zebra Fishes,Zebra danio,Zebrafishes,D. rerios,Fishes, Zebra,Zebra danios,danio, Zebra
D020959 Polyethylene A vinyl polymer made from ethylene. It can be branched or linear. Branched or low-density polyethylene is tough and pliable but not to the same degree as linear polyethylene. Linear or high-density polyethylene has a greater hardness and tensile strength. Polyethylene is used in a variety of products, including implants and prostheses. HDPE,High-Density Polyethylene,Polythene,LDPE,Low-Density Polyethylene,High Density Polyethylene,Low Density Polyethylene,Polyethylene, High-Density,Polyethylene, Low-Density
D064307 Microbiota The full collection of microbes (bacteria, fungi, virus, etc.) that naturally exist within a particular biological niche such as an organism, soil, a body of water, etc. Human Microbiome,Microbiome,Microbiome, Human,Microbial Community,Microbial Community Composition,Microbial Community Structure,Community Composition, Microbial,Community Structure, Microbial,Community, Microbial,Composition, Microbial Community,Human Microbiomes,Microbial Communities,Microbial Community Compositions,Microbial Community Structures,Microbiomes,Microbiotas

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