According to Stanford University School of Medicine, microplastics and their smaller counterparts, nanoplastics, are present in everything from our food and water, to our clothing, and even the air we breathe. While research continues to examine not only the environmental but also health impacts of these plastic particles, one study is looking at a specific fish.
Zebrafish are often used in toxicology studies because they have similar physiology and genetics to humans. New research published in Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology used zebrafish to see how nanoplastics could affect human health in the future.
Read more: Crickets will eat microplastics whole, leading to the spread of more nanoplastics
Nanoplastics invading fish
NOLICYSTICISSIS defined as plastic particles less than 1 micrometer in size. They are so small that they cannot be seen with the naked eye, according to the Cleveland Clinic. As plastic degrades in the environment, particles end up in the soil, air and waterways.
In water, aquatic organisms such as fish can easily ingest these particles in their food or accidentally come into contact with them in the water. Although previous studies in Current opinion in environmental and health science observed plastic particles in fish, especially in their digestive system. These nanoplastics are so small that they can overcome biological barriers and penetrate other organs.
To understand how these tiny plastic particles get into the bloodstream, researchers turned to zebrafish.
Sampling zebrafish for nanoplastics
IN Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology In the study, researchers from the City University of Hong Kong exposed zebrafish to nanoplastics through their diet and by adding plastic to the water in their aquariums.
According to the study, the research team collected fish samples after 12, 24, 48, 72, 96, 120, 144, 168 and 264 hours. Sample results showed that within 24 hours of exposure to the nanoplastic, the particles had already entered the fish's bloodstream.
Further research showed that plastic ingested through water or food spread and accumulated in organs such as gills, liver, brain, reproductive organs and intestines.
Nanoplastic model of the future
During the study, the research team discovered zebrafish to nanoplastic for a period of four days, followed by a seven-day depuration phase – the cleansing phase. After a cleansing phase, the team found that the zebrafish removed most of the microplastics from organs such as the liver, intestines and gills. However, it took much longer to eliminate nanoplastics from the brain and reproductive organs.
Based on these results, the research team developed a computer model to simulate the movement of nanoplastics through the zebrafish body. The model was able to successfully predict how nanoplastics travel, where they accumulate in the body, and how they are eliminated. The team hopes the model will also help predict how nanoplastics might move inside mammalian bodies.
“Our study shows that nanoplastics can overcome biological barriers, enter the circulatory system of fish and spread throughout their body,” says corresponding author Wen-Xiong Wang in the paper. press release. “This unsettling journey can happen to other animals and even humans.”
Read more: Cancer rates are rising among young people – poor diet and microplastics may be to blame
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