Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA; State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA.
Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
Sci Total Environ. 2018 Dec 1;643:324-334. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.06.186. Epub 2018 Jun 22.
Plastics are ubiquitous anthropogenic contaminants that are a growing concern in aquatic environments. The ecological implications of macroplastics pollution are well documented, but less is known about nanoplastics. The current study investigates the potential adverse effects of nanoplastics, which likely contribute to the ecological burden of plastic pollution. To this end, we examined whether a dietary exposure of adult zebrafish (Danio rerio) to polystyrene nanoparticles (PS NPs) could lead to the transfer of nanoplastics to the offspring, and whether nanoplastics exposure affects zebrafish physiology. Specifically, adult female and male zebrafish (F0 generation) were exposed to PS NPs via diet for one week and bred to produce the F1 generation. Four F1 groups were generated: control (unexposed females and males), maternal (exposed females), paternal (exposed males), and co-parental (exposed males and females). Co-parental PS NP exposure did not significantly affect reproductive success. Assessment of tissues from F0 fish revealed that exposure to PS NPs significantly reduced glutathione reductase activity in brain, muscle, and testes, but did not affect mitochondrial function parameters in heart or gonads. Assessment of F1 embryos and larvae revealed that PS NPs were present in the yolk sac, gastrointestinal tract, liver, and pancreas of the maternally and co-parentally exposed F1 embryos/larvae. Bradycardia was also observed in embryos from maternal and co-parental exposure groups. In addition, the activity of glutathione reductase and the levels of thiols were reduced in F1 embryos/larvae from maternal and/or co-parental exposure groups. Mitochondrial function and locomotor activity were not affected in F1 larvae. This study demonstrates that (i) PS NPs are transferred from mothers to offspring, and (ii) exposure to PS NPs modifies the antioxidant system in adult tissues and F1 larvae. We conclude that PS NPs could bioaccumulate and be passed on to the offspring, but this does not lead to major physiological disturbances.
塑料是无处不在的人为污染物，在水生环境中越来越受到关注。已充分记录了大塑料污染的生态影响，但对纳米塑料的了解较少。本研究调查了纳米塑料的潜在不利影响，这些影响可能导致塑料污染的生态负担增加。为此，我们研究了成年斑马鱼（Danio rerio）通过饮食暴露于聚苯乙烯纳米颗粒（PS NPs）是否会导致纳米塑料转移到后代中，以及纳米塑料暴露是否会影响斑马鱼的生理机能。具体而言，成年雌性和雄性斑马鱼（F0 代）通过饮食暴露于 PS NPs 一周，并繁殖产生 F1 代。生成了四个 F1 组：对照组（未暴露的雌性和雄性）、母体组（暴露的雌性）、父体组（暴露的雄性）和双亲组（暴露的雄性和雌性）。双亲组的 PS NP 暴露并未显著影响繁殖成功率。对 F0 鱼组织的评估表明，暴露于 PS NPs 会显著降低大脑、肌肉和睾丸中的谷胱甘肽还原酶活性，但不会影响心脏或性腺中的线粒体功能参数。对 F1 胚胎和幼虫的评估表明，PS NPs 存在于母体和双亲暴露的 F1 胚胎/幼虫的卵黄囊、胃肠道、肝脏和胰腺中。母体和双亲暴露组的胚胎也出现心动过缓。此外，母体和双亲暴露组的 F1 胚胎/幼虫的谷胱甘肽还原酶活性和硫醇水平降低。F1 幼虫的线粒体功能和运动活性未受影响。本研究表明：（i）PS NPs 从母亲转移到后代，以及（ii）暴露于 PS NPs 会改变成年组织和 F1 幼虫的抗氧化系统。我们得出结论，PS NPs 可能会生物积累并传递给后代，但这不会导致主要的生理紊乱。
