Kim Lia, Kim Haemi, Song Yubeen, An Youn-Joo
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.
Mar Pollut Bull. 2025 May;214:117831. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2025.117831. Epub 2025 Mar 18.
Crustaceans inhabiting benthic environments come into contact with microplastics (MPs) that accumulate on the seafloor. At present, research on the toxicity of MPs to crustaceans has mainly focused on spherical MPs. Hence, this study assessed the toxicity of polyethylene terephthalate microfibers (PET MFs) to crustaceans. The whiteleg shrimp (Penaeus vannamei), a valuable food source, was exposed to PET MFs for 21 d, and their biological responses at the individual, tissue, and molecular levels were observed. The results revealed that PET MFs negatively affected the overall health (body length and weight), altered the molting cycle, burrowing movement, and caused changes in the body shell, hepatopancreas, and intestinal ultrastructure. By analyzing modifications in transcriptomes and metabolites, we revealed alterations in molting hormones and chitin biosynthesis-related molecules, which induced adjustments in the molting cycle. Our study enhances the understanding of marine crustaceans' responses to MFs, highlighting the changes in biological mechanisms.
栖息在底栖环境中的甲壳类动物会接触到积聚在海底的微塑料（MPs）。目前，关于MPs对甲壳类动物毒性的研究主要集中在球形MPs上。因此，本研究评估了聚对苯二甲酸乙二酯微纤维（PET MFs）对甲壳类动物的毒性。将有价值的食物来源凡纳滨对虾暴露于PET MFs中21天，并观察其在个体、组织和分子水平上的生物学反应。结果表明，PET MFs对整体健康（体长和体重）产生负面影响，改变蜕皮周期、穴居运动，并导致体壳、肝胰腺和肠道超微结构发生变化。通过分析转录组和代谢物的变化，我们揭示了蜕皮激素和几丁质生物合成相关分子的改变，这些改变诱导了蜕皮周期的调整。我们的研究增进了对海洋甲壳类动物对MFs反应的理解，突出了生物机制的变化。
