The transfer of benzo[a]pyrene from microplastics to Artemia nauplii and further to zebrafish via a trophic food web experiment – CYP1A induction and visual tracking of persistent organic pollutants.

The transfer of benzo[a]pyrene from microplastics to Artemia nauplii and further to zebrafish via a trophic food web experiment – CYP1A induction and visual tracking of persistent organic pollutants.

2016 / fish / research

The transfer of benzo[a]pyrene from microplastics to Artemia nauplii and further to zebrafish via a trophic food web experiment – CYP1A induction and visual tracking of persistent organic pollutants.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/etc.3361/full

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/wol1/doi/10.1002/etc.3361/abstract

Batel, A., Linti, F., Scherer, M., Erdinger, L. and Braunbeck, T.
(2016), The transfer of benzo[a]pyrene from microplastics to Artemia
nauplii and further to zebrafish via a trophic food web experiment –
CYP1A induction and visual tracking of persistent organic pollutants.
Environ Toxicol Chem. Accepted Author Manuscript. doi:10.1002/etc.3361

Abstract
The uptake of microplastic particles and the transfer of potential
harmful substances along with microplastics has been studied in a
variety of organisms, especially invertebrates. However, the potential
accumulation of very small microplastic particles along food webs ending
with vertebrate models has not been investigated so far. Therefore, a
simple artificial food chain with Artemia spec. nauplii and zebrafish
(Danio rerio) was established to analyze the transfer of microplastic
particles and associated persistent organic pollutants (POPs) between
different trophic levels. Very small (1 – 20 µm) microplastic particles
accumulated in Artemia nauplii and were subsequently transferred to
fish. Virgin particles not loaded with POPs did not cause any observable
physical harm in the intestinal tracts of zebrafish, although part of
the particles were retained within the mucus of intestinal villi and
might even be taken up by epithelial cells. The transfer of associated
POPs was tested with the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon benzo[a]pyrene
and an ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) assay for CYP1A induction in
zebrafish liver as well as via fluorescence analyses. Whereas a
significant induction in the EROD assay could not be shown due to high
individual variation and low sensitivity regarding substance
concentration, the fluorescence tracking of benzo[a]pyrene indicates
that food-borne microplastic-associated POPs may actually desorb in the
intestine of fish and are thus transferred to the intestinal epithelium
and liver.

Keywords:
Microplastics; Food web; Zebrafish; Benzo[a]pyrene; CYP1A induction