Biochemical and physiological effects of multigenerational exposure to spheric polystyrene microplastics in Caenorhabditis elegans

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international Vol. 30; no. 26; pp. 69307 - 69320
• Main Authors: Soares, Gabriela Corrêa, Müller, Larissa, Josende, Marcelo Estrella, Ventura-Lima, Juliane
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.06.2023; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animals; Aquatic Pollution; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Caenorhabditis elegans; Contaminants; Detoxification; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental assessment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental science; Exploratory behavior; Exposure; Generations; Glutathione; Glutathione transferase; Lipid peroxidation; Lipids; Microplastics; Microplastics - toxicity; Nematodes; Oxidative stress; Parameters; Peroxidation; Physiological effects; Physiology; Plastic pollution; Plastics; Polystyrene; Polystyrene resins; Polystyrenes - toxicity; Reactive oxygen species; Reactive Oxygen Species - pharmacology; Research Article; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control; Nematodes; Lipid peroxidation; Oxidative stress; Reproduction; Ecotoxicology; Accumulation
• ISSN: 1614-7499; 0944-1344; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-27162-3

Although studies have already shown the effects of exposure to microplastics (MP) in different species, the effects over generations in these individuals remain poorly understood. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the effect of polystyrene MP (spherical, 1 μm) on the responses of the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans in a multigenerational approach over five subsequent generations. MP concentrations of both 5 and 50 μg/L induced a detoxification response, increasing glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity and inducing the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lipid peroxidation (TBARS). MP also demonstrated the ability to accumulate in the animal’s body during the 96 h of each generational exposure, and possibly, this constant interaction was the main reason for the decreased response in physiological parameters as in the exploratory behavior (body bending) of nematodes, and in the reproduction, being this last parameter most negatively affected during the five exposed generations, with a reduction of almost 50% in the last generation. These results emphasize the importance of multigenerational approaches, highlighting their advantage in the assessment of environmental contaminants.