PUBLICATION
Neurological outcomes of joint exposure to polystyrene micro/nanospheres and silver nanoparticles in zebrafish
- Authors
- Song, J., Pu, Q., Chen, C., Liu, X., Zhang, X., Wang, Z., Yan, J., Wang, X., Wang, H., Qian, Q.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-250328-6
- Date
- 2025
- Source
- Environmental health perspectives : (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- Keywords
- none
- MeSH Terms
-
- Animals
- Larva/drug effects
- Metal Nanoparticles*/toxicity
- Microplastics/toxicity
- Nanospheres*/toxicity
- Oxidative Stress/drug effects
- Polystyrenes*/toxicity
- Silver*/toxicity
- Water Pollutants, Chemical*/toxicity
- Zebrafish*/physiology
- PubMed
- 40138633 Full text @ Environ. Health Perspect.
Citation
Song, J., Pu, Q., Chen, C., Liu, X., Zhang, X., Wang, Z., Yan, J., Wang, X., Wang, H., Qian, Q. (2025) Neurological outcomes of joint exposure to polystyrene micro/nanospheres and silver nanoparticles in zebrafish. Environmental health perspectives. :.
Abstract
Background Micro/nanoplastics and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are emerging environmental contaminants widely detected in aquatic environments. However, previous research has primarily focused on the interactions between micro/nanoplastics and organic substances or heavy metals, while the interactions and combined toxic effects of micro/nanoplastics with AgNPs remain unclear.
Objective Our study aimed to investigate the effects and mechanisms of co-exposure to AgNPs and polystyrene micro/nanospheres (PS M/NPs) on the nervous system, comparing the toxicity of AgNPs alone and in combination with PS M/NPs in larval zebrafish.
Methods We investigated the dynamics of AgNPs (5 nm) adsorption onto PS M/NPs (5 µm/100 nm) using ICP-MS. Zebrafish larvae were co-exposed to PS M/NPs (200 µg/L) and AgNPs (10 µg/L) from 6 hpf to 72 hpf~120 hpf to evaluate neuroinflammatory effects from multiple perspectives, including developmental abnormalities, oxidative stress, neurobehavioral differences, vascular development, immune responses, differences in gene expression, and differences upon neuroinflammation inhibitor addition.
Results Adsorption experiments showed PS M/NPs could stably adsorb AgNPs, with higher adsorption in smaller particles. Zebrafish larvae exposed to combined PS M/NPs and AgNPs demonstrated neurodevelopmental abnormalities, including developmental malformations, lower levels of locomotor activity, delayed response, and abnormal neuronal development. Additionally, exposed zebrafish also exhibited disrupted neurodevelopmental markers, including vascular and apoptotic indicators, and oxidative stress and neuroimmune responses. RT-qPCR analysis showed differences in gene expression within neurotoxic pathways in PS M/NPs and AgNPs-exposed zebrafish, focusing on key genes in immunity, apoptosis, vascular, and neural development. Furthermore, these neurotoxic effects induced by combined exposure were alleviated following the introduction of the neuroinflammation inhibitor curcumin.
Discussion Our findings demonstrate that PSNPs intensified AgNPs-induced neurotoxicity in larval zebrafish, whereas PSMPs had a lesser effect, indicating distinct gene regulation roles when combined with AgNPs. These findings enhance the assessment of environmental risks in settings with coexisting nanomaterials and microplastics, offering important insights for evaluating combined exposure risks. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP14873.
Genes / Markers
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping