Department of Environmental Health Science, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05029, Republic of Korea.
Department of Environmental Health Science, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05029, Republic of Korea.
J Hazard Mater. 2022 Oct 15;440:129715. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.129715. Epub 2022 Aug 4.
This study investigated the effects of nanoplastics on marine organisms via trophic transfer in the food chain. We designed a three-step food chain comprising microalga (Dunaliella salina), small crustaceans (Artemia franciscana), and fish (small yellow croakers; Larimichthys polyactis) and evaluated the effects of trophic transfer in marine organisms, as well as verified the possibility of nanoplastic transfer to humans via trophic transfer. Using amine-modified nanopolystyrene (nPS-NH) as a pollutant, we conducted both direct-exposure and trophic transfer experiments to determine how pollutants move through the food chain (D. salina → A. franciscana). Exposure of D. salina to nPS-NH, which was adsorbed on its cell wall, resulted in transfer to A. franciscana with alteration of gut permeability. Additionally, assessment of the adverse effects of nPS-NH via a dietary pathway (three-step food chain) on the L. polyactis digestive system revealed that nanoplastics adsorbed to the cell wall of microalgae are gradually transferred to higher trophic level organisms, such as via food resources consumed by humans, inducing the inhibition of digestive enzyme activity (α-amylase). It indicates that human could eventually be exposed to nanoplastics and experience toxicity.
本研究通过食物链中的营养传递来探讨纳米塑料对海洋生物的影响。我们设计了一个包含微藻（杜氏盐藻）、小型甲壳类动物（卤虫）和鱼类（小黄鱼）的三步食物链，并评估了营养传递对海洋生物的影响，同时验证了纳米塑料通过营养传递转移到人类的可能性。我们使用胺修饰的纳米聚苯乙烯（nPS-NH）作为污染物，进行了直接暴露和营养传递实验，以确定污染物如何在食物链中移动（D. salina → A. franciscana）。D. salina 暴露于吸附在其细胞壁上的 nPS-NH 后，会通过改变肠道通透性将其转移到 A. franciscana。此外，通过饮食途径（三步食物链）评估 nPS-NH 对小黄鱼消化系统的不良影响，表明吸附在微藻细胞壁上的纳米塑料逐渐被转移到更高营养级别的生物体，例如通过人类食用的食物资源，从而抑制消化酶活性（α-淀粉酶）。这表明人类最终可能会接触到纳米塑料并经历毒性。
