Adverse effects of microplastics and oxidative stress-induced MAPK/Nrf2 pathway-mediated defense mechanisms in the marine copepod Paracyclopina nana

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 7; no. 1; p. 41323
• Main Authors: Jeong, Chang-Bum, Kang, Hye-Min, Lee, Min-Chul, Kim, Duck-Hyun, Han, Jeonghoon, Hwang, Dae-Sik, Souissi, Sami, Lee, Su-Jae, Shin, Kyung-Hoon, Park, Heum Gi, Lee, Jae-Seong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Nature Publishing Group 24.01.2017
• Subjects: Animals; Antioxidants - metabolism; Aquatic Organisms - metabolism; Copepoda - drug effects; Copepoda - enzymology; Copepoda - metabolism; Defense mechanisms; Environmental Monitoring; Fecundity; Fluorescent Dyes - metabolism; Glutathione Peroxidase - metabolism; Glutathione Reductase - metabolism; Glutathione Transferase - metabolism; Growth rate; MAP kinase; Marine environment; Marine organisms; Microspheres; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases - metabolism; Models, Biological; NF-E2-Related Factor 2 - metabolism; Oxidative stress; Oxidative Stress - drug effects; Phosphorylation - drug effects; Plastic debris; Plastics - toxicity; Pollutants; Polystyrene; Polystyrenes - chemistry; Reactive Oxygen Species - metabolism; Side effects; Signal Transduction - drug effects; Superoxide Dismutase - metabolism
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/srep41323

Microplastic pollution causes a major concern in the marine environment due to their worldwide distribution, persistence, and adverse effects of these pollutants in the marine ecosystem. Despite its global presence, there is still a lack of information on the effect of microplastics on marine organisms at the molecular level. Herein we demonstrated ingestion and egestion of nano- (0.05 μm) and micro-sized (0.5 and 6 μm) polystyrene microbeads in the marine copepod Paracyclopina nana, and examined molecular responses to exposure to microbeads with in vivo endpoints such as growth rate and fecundity. Also, we proposed an adverse outcome pathway for microplastic exposure that covers molecular and individual levels. This study provides the first insight into the mode of action in terms of microplastic-induced oxidative stress and related signaling pathways in P. nana.