Biological Research Laboratory, Goiano Federal Institute, Urutaí, GO, Brazil; Post-Graduate Program in Conservation of Cerrado Natural Resources, Goiano Federal Institute, Urutaí, GO, Brazil; Post-Graduate Program in Biodiversity and Biotechnology, Federal University of Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil; Post-Graduate Program in Ecology and Conservation of Natural Resources, Federal University of Uberlândia, MG, Brazil.
Biological Research Laboratory, Goiano Federal Institute, Urutaí, GO, Brazil.
Sci Total Environ. 2021 Aug 20;783:146994. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146994. Epub 2021 Apr 9.
Different and alternative renewable-source materials, commonly called bioplastics, have been proposed due to the high production and consumption of petroleum-derived plastics and to their high toxicity in the biota. However, their toxicological safety has not yet been assessed in a comprehensive way; therefore, their effects on several animal groups remain completely unknown. Thus, we aimed at testing the following hypothesis: the exposure of Physalaemus cuvieri tadpoles to polylaic acid biomicroplastic (PLA BioMP) at environmentally relevant concentrations (760 and 15,020 μg/L) induces physiological changes in them. Based on the collected data, biopolymer uptake changed tadpoles' growth and development features, reduced their lipid reserves (it was inferred by decreased triglyceride levels), as well as increased reactive oxygen and nitric oxide species production after 14-day exposure. The proportional increase in total glutathione levels, and in superoxide dismutase and catalase activity, was not enough to counterbalance the production of reactive species. In addition, the two tested concentrations caused cholinesterase effect, which was marked by increased acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase. This finding is indicative of the neurotoxic action of PLA BioMP. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the harmful consequences of exposing amphibian representatives to the herein tested biopolymers. Therefore, this finding encourages further studies and contributes to demystify the idea that bioplastics are "harmless" to the aquatic biota in freshwater environments.
由于石油衍生塑料的高产量和高消耗量及其在生物群中的高毒性，已经提出了不同和替代的可再生源材料，通常称为生物塑料。然而，它们的毒理学安全性尚未得到全面评估；因此，它们对几个动物群体的影响仍然完全未知。因此，我们旨在检验以下假设：暴露于环境相关浓度（760 和 15,020 μg/L）的聚乳酸生物微塑料（PLA BioMP）的 Physalaemus cuvieri 蝌蚪会引起它们的生理变化。根据收集的数据，生物聚合物的摄取改变了蝌蚪的生长和发育特征，减少了它们的脂质储备（通过降低甘油三酯水平推断），并且在 14 天暴露后增加了活性氧和一氧化氮物质的产生。总谷胱甘肽水平以及超氧化物歧化酶和过氧化氢酶活性的比例增加不足以抵消活性物质的产生。此外，两种测试浓度引起胆碱酯酶的作用，其特征是乙酰胆碱酯酶和丁酰胆碱酯酶的增加。这一发现表明 PLA BioMP 具有神经毒性作用。据我们所知，这是第一个关于暴露于本文测试的生物聚合物的两栖类代表的有害后果的报告。因此，这一发现鼓励进一步的研究，并有助于消除生物塑料对淡水环境中水生生物“无害”的观念。
