Li Guoxin, Lv Min, Zhang Heng, Zhang Dandan, Yu Haitao, Li Qingsong, Wang Lei
The Key Laboratory of Water Resources Utilization and Protection of Xiamen, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Xiamen University of Technology, Xiamen 361024, China.
The Key Laboratory of Water Resources Utilization and Protection of Xiamen, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Xiamen University of Technology, Xiamen 361024, China.
Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2025 Jun 15;298:118286. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2025.118286. Epub 2025 May 15.
The issue of nanoplastics (NPs) in the aquatic environment has recently received considerable attention. Arsenic (As) is a relatively abundant and toxic metalloid element in aquatic environments. However, the potential toxic effects of As on aquatic organisms under the influence of NPs remain uncertain. In this study, zebrafish were divided into five different groups: a control group, a single As(V) (10 μg/L) treatment group and three As (10 μg/L) + polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NPs) treatment groups (NPs at concentrations of 1, 5 and 10 mg/L, respectively) for a period of seven days using a semi-static method. The findings demonstrated that the presence of PS-NPs facilitated the accumulation of As in zebrafish liver, gill and intestine with the following promoting efficiency: liver > gill > intestine. The presence of PS-NPs enhanced the oxidative stress effects of As on the aforementioned tissues. Furthermore, the activities of glutathione-S-transferase and glutathione peroxidase in the liver and intestine were found to be instrumental in mitigating oxidative stress during co-exposure. Furthermore, the presence of PS-NPs led to a further reduction in As-induced acetylcholinesterase activity in the liver and intestine of zebrafish. The combined exposure of zebrafish to PS-NPs and As resulted in an increase in lactate dehydrogenase activity in the liver, intestine and gills. This subsequently led to a reduction in the activity of acid phosphatase and alkaline phosphatase in the aforementioned tissues, thus affecting immune dysfunction in zebrafish. The integrated biomarker response indexes indicate that combined exposures result in greater toxic effects compared to single As exposures. The findings provide a fundamental basis for the assessment of the toxic effects of combined nanoscale plastic and As pollution on aquatic organisms.
水生环境中的纳米塑料（NPs）问题最近受到了广泛关注。砷（As）是水生环境中一种相对丰富且有毒的类金属元素。然而，在纳米塑料的影响下，砷对水生生物的潜在毒性作用仍不确定。在本研究中，斑马鱼被分为五个不同的组：一个对照组、一个单一砷（V）（10μg/L）处理组和三个砷（10μg/L）+聚苯乙烯纳米塑料（PS-NPs）处理组（PS-NPs浓度分别为1、5和10mg/L），采用半静态方法处理7天。研究结果表明，PS-NPs的存在促进了砷在斑马鱼肝脏、鳃和肠道中的积累，促进效率如下：肝脏>鳃>肠道。PS-NPs的存在增强了砷对上述组织的氧化应激作用。此外，发现肝脏和肠道中谷胱甘肽-S-转移酶和谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶的活性有助于减轻共同暴露期间的氧化应激。此外，PS-NPs的存在导致斑马鱼肝脏和肠道中砷诱导的乙酰胆碱酯酶活性进一步降低。斑马鱼同时暴露于PS-NPs和砷会导致肝脏、肠道和鳃中乳酸脱氢酶活性增加。这随后导致上述组织中酸性磷酸酶和碱性磷酸酶的活性降低，从而影响斑马鱼的免疫功能障碍。综合生物标志物反应指数表明，与单一砷暴露相比，联合暴露会产生更大的毒性作用。这些发现为评估纳米级塑料和砷污染对水生生物的联合毒性作用提供了基础。
