Journal
MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
Volume 153, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
ELSEVIER SCI LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2019.104838
Keywords
Microplastic; Oxidative stress; Reactive oxygen species; Gene expression; Enzyme activity
Funding
- Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Republic of Korea [20150248]
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The indiscriminate use of plastic has greatly increased microplastic contamination risk in the marine environment. Microplastics can affect all marine life via the food web, from primary producers (e.g., microalgae) to final consumers (e.g., carnivorous fish). Thus, several studies have attempted to evaluate microplastic toxicity, but information about the underlying mechanisms of their effect is limited. Therefore, in this study, we examined multiple factors that could contribute to microplastic-induced toxicity. We investigated the potential molecular effects of microplastic size and exposure time. We exposed the marine copepod Tigriopus japonicas to 50 nm and 10 mu m polystyrene microbeads. We found that both size and exposure time increased intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species. In addition, antioxidant-related gene expression was modulated and antioxidant enzyme activities were changed significantly. The results of this study provide important insights into the molecular mechanisms of microplastic-induced toxicity in a marine organism.
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