School of Life Science, Shaoxing University, Shaoxing, Zhejiang, 312000, China.
National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Ecological Treatment Technology for Urban Water Pollution, Zhejiang Provincial Key Lab for Subtropical Water Environment and Marine Biological Resources Protection, College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325035, China.
Environ Pollut. 2023 Jun 15;327:121528. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121528. Epub 2023 Mar 28.
Microplastics (MPs) are increasingly being detected in freshwater environments, which have the potential to cause combined toxicity with other contaminants on aquatic organisms. To reveal the ecological risks, the combined effects of lead (Pb) and polyvinyl chloride microplastics (MPs) were explored in the gut of common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.). The results confirmed that exposure of Pb alone accelerated Pb accumulation, increased oxidative stress, and activated the inflammation response of the gut. However, the aforementioned effects all decreased under the co-exposure of Pb and MPs. In addition, MPs altered intestinal microbial community of common carp, especially the abundance of immune system-related species. All measured variables were organized for partial least square path modeling, which revealed the combined effects of Pb and MPs on inflammation response. The results implied that MPs reduced inflammation response in two ways, including the reduction of intestinal Pb accumulation and the alteration of the intestinal microbial community. Overall, this study provides a novel aspect of ecological effects on aquatic animals from Pb and MPs exposure. The interesting results remind us that when exploring the ecological risks of MPs, combined effects from other toxic substances must be considered simultaneously.
微塑料(MPs)在淡水环境中越来越多地被检测到,它们有可能与水生生物中的其他污染物产生联合毒性。为了揭示生态风险,本研究探讨了铅(Pb)和聚氯乙烯微塑料(MPs)在鲤鱼(Cyprinus carpio L.)肠道中的联合效应。结果证实,单独暴露于 Pb 会加速 Pb 积累、增加氧化应激并激活肠道炎症反应。然而,在 Pb 和 MPs 的共同暴露下,上述影响均降低。此外,MPs 改变了鲤鱼的肠道微生物群落,特别是免疫系统相关物种的丰度。所有测量的变量都进行了偏最小二乘路径建模,结果揭示了 Pb 和 MPs 对炎症反应的联合效应。结果表明,MPs 通过两种方式降低了炎症反应,包括减少肠道 Pb 积累和改变肠道微生物群落。总体而言,本研究从 Pb 和 MPs 暴露的角度为水生动物的生态效应提供了新的认识。有趣的结果提醒我们,在探索 MPs 的生态风险时,必须同时考虑其他有毒物质的联合效应。