Laboratory of Crustacean Development Biology and Macrobenthic Ecology, School of Life Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China.
Laboratory of Crustacean Development Biology and Macrobenthic Ecology, School of Life Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China; Shanghai Center of Biomedicine Development, Shanghai 201203, China.
Sci Total Environ. 2019 Oct 1;685:836-846. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.06.265. Epub 2019 Jun 18.
The effects of microplastic exposure on the non-specific immune responses and intestinal microflora remain unclear. In this study, juveniles of the Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) were exposed to different concentrations of microplastics (0, 0.04, 0.4, 4, and 40 mg/L) for 7, 14, and 21 days to explore their effects. Under microplastic-induced stress, the contents or activities of most immune-related factors [haemocyanin (Hc), alkaline phosphatase (AKP), phenoloxidase (PO), lysozyme (LSZ), and acid phosphatase (ACP)] decreased after an initial increase in the low-dose or short exposure times in the haemolymph and hepatopancreas. The trends in Hc and LSZ gene expression were consistent with the corresponding changes in enzyme activities. Moreover, the haemocyte expression of caspase and MyD88 in the groups with microplastic-induced stress was higher than that in the control group, whereas the expression levels in the hepatopancreas were first increased and then decreased. Furthermore, the relative abundance of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes decreased following exposure to 40 mg/L microplastics, whereas that of Fusobacteria and Proteobacteria increased. These results indicate that microplastics affect immune enzyme activity and immune-related gene expression and change the diversity and composition of the intestinal microflora in E. sinensis.
微塑料暴露对非特异性免疫反应和肠道微生物群的影响尚不清楚。在这项研究中，中华绒螯蟹（Eriocheir sinensis）的幼蟹分别暴露于不同浓度的微塑料（0、0.04、0.4、4 和 40 mg/L）7、14 和 21 天，以探讨其影响。在微塑料诱导的应激下，大多数免疫相关因子[血蓝蛋白（Hc）、碱性磷酸酶（AKP）、酚氧化酶（PO）、溶菌酶（LSZ）和酸性磷酸酶（ACP）]的含量或活性在低剂量或短时间暴露时先升高，随后在血淋巴和肝胰腺中降低。Hc 和 LSZ 基因表达的趋势与相应的酶活性变化一致。此外，在微塑料诱导应激组中，半胱天冬酶和 MyD88 的血细胞表达高于对照组，而肝胰腺中的表达水平先升高后降低。此外，暴露于 40 mg/L 微塑料后厚壁菌门和拟杆菌门的相对丰度降低，而梭菌门和变形菌门的相对丰度增加。这些结果表明，微塑料影响中华绒螯蟹的免疫酶活性和免疫相关基因表达，并改变其肠道微生物群的多样性和组成。
