Zebrafish Can Expel Nanoplastics in Their Gut Quickly, But Not as Fast in the Brain
According to Stanford Medicine, microplastics and their smaller counterparts, nanoplastics, are everywhere: from our food to our water to our clothes and even the air we breathe. As research continues to examine not only the environmental impact but also the health impact of these plastic particles, one study is looking at one fish in particular.
Zebrafish are often used in toxicology research because they share similar physiology and genetics to humans. A new study published in Environmental chemistry and ecotoxicology used zebrafish to see how nanoplastics might impact human health in the future.
Learn more: Crickets will eat microplastics whole, causing more nanoplastics to spread
Nanoplastics invade fish
Nanoplastics are defined as plastic particles measuring less than 1 micrometer. It’s so small that you can’t see them with the naked eye, according to the Cleveland Clinic. As plastics break down in our environment, particles end up in soil, air and waterways.
In water, aquatic organisms such as fish can easily ingest these particles through their diet or come into contact with them inadvertently in the water. While previous research on Current opinion in environmental sciences and health observed plastic particles in fish, particularly in their digestive systems, these nanoplastics are so small that they can cross biological barriers and make their way to other organs.
To understand how these tiny plastic particles enter the bloodstream, researchers turned to zebrafish.
Sampling zebrafish for nanoplastics
In the Environmental chemistry and ecotoxicology In one study, researchers at the City University of Hong Kong exposed zebrafish to nanoplastics through their diet and by adding plastics to their tank water.
From there, the research team sampled the fish after 12, 24, 48, 72, 96, 120, 144, 168 and 264 hours, according to the study. The sample results showed that within 24 hours of exposure to the nanoplastic, the particles had already entered the fish’s bloodstream.
Further study found that plastics, whether ingested through water or food, had spread and accumulated in organs such as the gills, liver, brain, reproductive organs and intestines.
A nanoplastic model for the future
During the study, the research team exposed the zebrafish to nanoplastics for a period of four days, followed by a seven-day depuration phase – a purification phase. After the depuration phase, the team found that the zebrafish had expelled most of the microplastics from organs such as the liver, intestines and gills. However, it took much longer to remove 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’s body. The model successfully predicted how nanoplastics moved, where they accumulated in the body and how they were expelled. The team hopes the model could also help predict how nanoplastics might move through mammalian bodies.
“Our study demonstrates that nanoplastics can cross biological barriers, enter the circulatory system of fish and spread throughout their bodies,” explains corresponding author Wen-Xiong Wang in a press release. “This alarming journey can also occur in other animals, and even humans.”
Learn more: Cancer rates are rising among young adults – poor diet and microplastics could be to blame
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