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Microplastics and Nanoplastics Ecotoxicological Effects in Seawater and Freshwater Organisms
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Microplastics and Nanoplastics Ecotoxicological Effects in Seawater and Freshwater Organisms

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Toxicology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 July 2025 | Viewed by 6351

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Carlos García

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago 8380453, Chile
Interests: marine environments; marine metabolites; chemistry; aquatic toxicology; molecular toxicology; climate change

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The origin of plastic is traced back to the beginning of the industrial revolution due to the industrial need to generate lower cost products. Its effectiveness has led to exponential use in the last 90 years, which has damaged the environment.

The constant use of plastic has caused pollution in marine environments, which has spread through the trophic net to reach humans. Microplastics and nanoplastics are major contributors to pollution, which can interact with other pollutants (e.g., marine and freshwater toxins) through primary and secondary sources, thereby establishing themselves as a vector of other toxic components that can be accumulated by different aquatic organisms, thus affecting their life cycle and interactions with the trophic chain.

The aim of this Special Issue, titled “Microplastics and Nanoplastics Ecotoxicological Effects in Seawater and Freshwater Organisms”, is to compile original research and review articles on microplastics and nanoplastics and their impact on the aquatic environment.

Dr. Carlos García
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • microplastics
  • exposure
  • aquatic organisms
  • sorption
  • degradation
  • bioaccumulation
  • biomagnification
  • migration
  • bioindicators
  • marine toxins

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 11722 KiB  
Article
Bioaccumulation Rate of Non-Biodegradable Polystyrene Microplastics in Human Epithelial Cell Lines
by Ilaria Conti, Cinzia Brenna, Angelina Passaro and Luca Maria Neri
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(20), 11101; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms252011101 - 16 Oct 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1286
Abstract
Environment plastic accumulation has been attracting the attention of both political and scientific communities, who wish to reduce global pollution. Plastic items have been detected everywhere, from oceans to the air, raising concerns about the fate of plastics within organisms. Leaked plastics are [...] Read more.
Environment plastic accumulation has been attracting the attention of both political and scientific communities, who wish to reduce global pollution. Plastic items have been detected everywhere, from oceans to the air, raising concerns about the fate of plastics within organisms. Leaked plastics are ingested by animals, entering the food chain and eventually reaching humans. Although a lot of studies focused on the evaluation of plastic particles in the environment and living organisms have already been published, the behavior of plastic at the cellular level is still missing. Here, we analyzed the bioaccumulation and extrusion trend of two differently sized plastic particles (1 and 2 µm), testing them on three human epithelial cell lines (liver, lung, and gut) that represent epithelial sites mainly exposed to plastic. A different behavior was detected, and the major plastic uptake was shown by liver cells, where the 1 µm beads accumulated with a dose-dependent profile. Moreover, a 60% reduction in the content of 1 µm particles in cells was evaluated after plastic removal. Finally, the viability and proliferation of the three human cell lines were not significantly affected by both the 1 and 2 µm beads, suggesting that cells might have a defense mechanism against plastic exposure risk. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microplastics and Nanoplastics Ecotoxicological Effects in Seawater and Freshwater Organisms)
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16 pages, 3919 KiB  
Article
Seawater Accelerated the Aging of Polystyrene and Enhanced Its Toxic Effects on Caenorhabditis elegans
by Tong Zhou, Jiajie Wu, Yun Liu and An Xu
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(24), 17219; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms242417219 - 7 Dec 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1972
Abstract
Microplastics (MPs) are emerging pollutants and pose a significant threat to marine ecosystems. Although previous studies have documented the mechanisms and toxic effects of aging MPs in various environments, the impact of the marine environment on MPs remains unclear. In the present study, [...] Read more.
Microplastics (MPs) are emerging pollutants and pose a significant threat to marine ecosystems. Although previous studies have documented the mechanisms and toxic effects of aging MPs in various environments, the impact of the marine environment on MPs remains unclear. In the present study, the aging process of polystyrene (PS) in seawater was simulated and the changes in its physicochemical properties were investigated. Our results showed that the surface of the PS eroded in the seawater, which was accompanied by the release of aged MPs with a smaller size. In situ optical photothermal infrared microspectroscopy revealed that the mechanism of PS aging was related to the opening of the carbonyl group and breaking of the bond between carbon and benzene removal. To verify the toxic effects of aged PS, Caenorhabditis elegans was exposed to PS. Aged PS resulted in a greater reduction in locomotion, vitality, and reproduction than virgin PS. Mechanistically, aged PS led to oxidative stress, high glutathione s-transferase activity, and high total glutathione in worms. Together, our findings provided novel information regarding the accelerated aging of PS in seawater and the increased toxicity of aged PS, which could improve our understanding of MPs’ ecotoxicity in the marine environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microplastics and Nanoplastics Ecotoxicological Effects in Seawater and Freshwater Organisms)
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21 pages, 2289 KiB  
Article
Long-Term Influence of PCB- and PBDE-Spiked Microplastic Spheres Fed through Rotifers to Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua) Larvae
by André S. Bogevik, Velmurugu Puvanendran, Katrin Vorkamp, Erik Burgerhout, Øyvind Hansen, María Fernández-Míguez, Aleksei Krasnov, Sergey Afanasyev, Vibeke Høst and Elisabeth Ytteborg
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(12), 10326; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241210326 - 19 Jun 2023
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2089
Abstract
Omnipresent microplastics (MPs) in marine ecosystems are ingested at all trophic levels and may be a vector for the transfer of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) through the food web. We fed rotifers polyethylene MPs (1–4 µm) spiked with seven congeners of polychlorinated biphenyls [...] Read more.
Omnipresent microplastics (MPs) in marine ecosystems are ingested at all trophic levels and may be a vector for the transfer of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) through the food web. We fed rotifers polyethylene MPs (1–4 µm) spiked with seven congeners of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and two congeners of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). In turn, these rotifers were fed to cod larvae from 2–30 days post-hatching (dph), while the control groups were fed rotifers without MPs. After 30 dph, all the groups were fed the same feed without MPs. Whole-body larvae were sampled at 30 and 60 dph, and four months later the skin of 10 g juveniles was sampled. The PCBs and PBDEs concentrations were significantly higher in MP larvae compared to the control larvae at 30 dph, but the significance dissipated at 60 dph. Expression of stress-related genes in cod larvae at 30 and 60 dph showed inconclusive minor random effects. The skin of MP juveniles showed disrupted epithelial integrity, fewer club cells and downregulation of a suite of genes involved in immunity, metabolism and the development of skin. Our study showed that POPs were transferred through the food web and accumulated in the larvae, but that the level of pollutants decreased once the exposure was ceased, possibly related to growth dilution. Considering the transcriptomic and histological findings, POPs spiked to MPs and/or MPs themselves may have long-term effects in the skin barrier defense system, immune response and epithelium integrity, which may potentially reduce the robustness and overall fitness of the fish. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microplastics and Nanoplastics Ecotoxicological Effects in Seawater and Freshwater Organisms)
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