College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, 211816, China.
Nanjing Foreign Language School, Nanjing, 210008, China.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2022 Mar;29(13):19273-19282. doi: 10.1007/s11356-021-17198-8. Epub 2021 Oct 29.
Despite extensive investigation on the toxicity of microplastics (MPs), an emerging global concern, little is known about the combined toxicity of MPs and co-occurring pollutants in aquatic environments. In this study, the combined toxicity of polystyrene MPs and sulfamethoxazole (SMZ) antibiotics was explored in zebrafish embryos in terms of the developmental, physiological, and endocrine toxicities. Exposure to PS and SMZ induced mortality (rate: 25.0 ± 7.5%) and malformation (rate: 2035%) at multiple regions and stages of zebrafish development. Physiological toxicity was also induced as shown by the significant decrease in fetal movement (by 31.137.0%) and swimming frequency (by 26.936.8%) and the increase in heartbeat rate (by 19.020.9%). Finally, PS and SMZ exposure also induced extensive endocrine toxicities in zebrafish as confirmed by increases in various biomarkers including vitellogenin, 17β-estradiol, testosterone, and triiodothyronine. The combination index showed that antagonistic effects were present between PS and SMZ toxicity, which slightly decreased their combined toxicity. This study aims to further understand the combined toxicity of MPs and co-occurring pollutants in aquatic environments.
尽管人们对微塑料 (MPs) 的毒性进行了广泛的研究，但对其在水生环境中与共存污染物的联合毒性知之甚少。在这项研究中，以斑马鱼胚胎为研究对象，探讨了聚苯乙烯 MPs 和磺胺甲恶唑 (SMZ) 抗生素的联合毒性，从发育毒性、生理毒性和内分泌毒性三个方面进行了研究。暴露于 PS 和 SMZ 会导致斑马鱼胚胎在多个区域和发育阶段的死亡率（25.0±7.5%）和畸形率（2035%）。生理毒性也会被诱导，表现为胎儿运动（减少 31.137.0%）和游泳频率（减少 26.936.8%）显著减少，心率（增加 19.020.9%）增加。最后，暴露于 PS 和 SMZ 还会导致斑马鱼广泛的内分泌毒性，各种生物标志物如卵黄蛋白原、17β-雌二醇、睾酮和三碘甲状腺原氨酸的增加证实了这一点。组合指数表明 PS 和 SMZ 毒性之间存在拮抗作用，这略微降低了它们的联合毒性。本研究旨在进一步了解 MPs 和共存污染物在水生环境中的联合毒性。
