TY - JOUR
T1 - Virgin microplastics are not causing imminent harm to fish after dietary exposure
AU - Jovanović, Boris
AU - Gökdağ, Kerem
AU - Güven, Olgaç
AU - Emre, Yilmaz
AU - Whitley, Elizabeth M.
AU - Kideys, Ahmet Erkan
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported by Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) grants; CAYDAG-114Y244 (“Estimating the quantity and composition of microplastics in the Mediterranean coast of Turkey; the potential for bioaccumulation in seafood”) and CAYDAG-115Y627 (“Impacts of Microplastic Particles and Bisphenol A as a Chemical Additive in Zooplankton Species of Mersin Bay”). We wish to extend our gratitude to Mehmet Özalp of IMS-METU and Derya Güroy of Yalova University for the technical help with fish feed preparation and sample processing.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2018/5
Y1 - 2018/5
N2 - Among aquatic organisms, fish are particularly susceptible to ingesting microplastic particles due to their attractive coloration, buoyancy, and resemblance to food. However, in previous experimental setups, fish were usually exposed to unrealistically high concentrations of microplastics, or the microplastics were deliberately contaminated with persistent organic chemicals; also, in many experiments, the fish were exposed only during the larval stages. The present study investigated the effects of virgin microplastics in gilt-head seabream (Sparus aurata) after 45 days’ exposure at 0.1 g kg−1 bodyweight day−1 to 6 common types of microplastics. The overall growth, biochemical analyses of the blood, histopathology, and the potential of the microplastics to accumulate in gastrointestinal organs or translocate to the liver and muscles were monitored and recorded. The results revealed that ingestion of virgin microplastics does not cause imminent harm to the adult gilt-head seabream during 45 days of exposure and an additional 30 days of depuration. The retention of virgin microplastics in the gastrointestinal tract was fairly low, indicating effective elimination of microplastics from the body of the fish and no significant accumulation after successive meals. Therefore, both the short- and the long-term retention potential of microplastics in the gastrointestinal tract of fish is close to zero. However, some large particles remained trapped in the liver, and 5.3% of all the livers analyzed contained at least one microplastic particle. In conclusion, the dietary exposure of S. aurata to 6 common types of virgin microplastics did not induce stress, alter the growth rate, cause pathology, or cause the microplastics to accumulate in the gastrointestinal tract of the fish.
AB - Among aquatic organisms, fish are particularly susceptible to ingesting microplastic particles due to their attractive coloration, buoyancy, and resemblance to food. However, in previous experimental setups, fish were usually exposed to unrealistically high concentrations of microplastics, or the microplastics were deliberately contaminated with persistent organic chemicals; also, in many experiments, the fish were exposed only during the larval stages. The present study investigated the effects of virgin microplastics in gilt-head seabream (Sparus aurata) after 45 days’ exposure at 0.1 g kg−1 bodyweight day−1 to 6 common types of microplastics. The overall growth, biochemical analyses of the blood, histopathology, and the potential of the microplastics to accumulate in gastrointestinal organs or translocate to the liver and muscles were monitored and recorded. The results revealed that ingestion of virgin microplastics does not cause imminent harm to the adult gilt-head seabream during 45 days of exposure and an additional 30 days of depuration. The retention of virgin microplastics in the gastrointestinal tract was fairly low, indicating effective elimination of microplastics from the body of the fish and no significant accumulation after successive meals. Therefore, both the short- and the long-term retention potential of microplastics in the gastrointestinal tract of fish is close to zero. However, some large particles remained trapped in the liver, and 5.3% of all the livers analyzed contained at least one microplastic particle. In conclusion, the dietary exposure of S. aurata to 6 common types of virgin microplastics did not induce stress, alter the growth rate, cause pathology, or cause the microplastics to accumulate in the gastrointestinal tract of the fish.
KW - Diet
KW - Fish
KW - Histopathology
KW - Marine litter
KW - Microplastics
KW - Toxicity
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U2 - 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.03.016
DO - 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.03.016
M3 - Article
C2 - 29866538
AN - SCOPUS:85044038773
SN - 0025-326X
VL - 130
SP - 123
EP - 131
JO - Marine Pollution Bulletin
JF - Marine Pollution Bulletin
ER -