Interaction of Environmental Pollutants with Microplastics: A Critical Review of Sorption Factors, Bioaccumulation and Ecotoxicological Effects

Microplastics have become one of the leading environmental threats due to their persistence, ubiquity and intrinsic toxic potential. The potential harm that microplastics impose on ecosystems varies from direct effects (i.e., entanglement and ingestion) to their ability to sorb a diversity of environmental pollutants (e.g., heavy metals, persistent organic compounds or pharmaceuticals). Therefore, the toxicological assessment of the combined effects of microplastics and sorbed pollutants can produce in biota is one of the hottest topics on the environmental toxicology field. This review aims to clarify the main impacts that this interaction could have on ecosystems by (1) highlighting the principal factors that influence the microplastics sorption capacities; (2) discussing the potential scenarios in which microplastics may have an essential role on the bioaccumulation and transfer of chemicals; and (3) reviewing the recently published studies describing toxicological effects caused by the combination of microplastics and their sorbed chemicals. Finally, a discussion regarding the need for a new generation of toxicological studies is presented.

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Fumigant Toxicity of Cleistopholis patens (Benth) Oil extracts on Plodia interpunctella (Hubner) and Its Toxicological Effects in Wistar Rats

10.21203/rs.3.rs-393875/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Sunday Tope Olorunsogbon ◽

Joseph Akinneye ◽

Eniola Olowu

Keyword(s):

Wistar Rats ◽

Plodia Interpunctella ◽

Adult Mortality ◽

Fumigant Toxicity ◽

Toxicological Effects ◽

Toxicological Studies ◽

Liver And Kidney ◽

Group A ◽

Oil Extract ◽

Toxic Potential

Abstract Background: The efficacy of root and stem barks oil of Cleistopholis patens as a fumigant agent on Plodia interpunctella infesting maize grains as well as its toxic potential in wistar rats were investigated. Both plant oils were used for fumigant bioassay while only the root oil extract was used for all toxicological studies due to its higher toxicity on P. interpunctella when compared to stem oil extract. Both insects and wistar rats were exposed to different concentrations (0.0, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20% and 25%) of the extract. 36 wistar rats were divided into Group A-F and each group received different concentrations of the oil extract except for Group A that received only Dimethyl sulphide saline and various toxicological tests were conducted. Results: Result shows that both stem and root extracts significantly evoked (p<0.05) higher larva and adult mortality in treated grains when compared to both controls except at 5% of both oil extracts. Ten percent root oil extract achieved 50% mortality in Plodia interpunctella within 48hrs and 25% achieved 100% mortality in larva and adult of Plodia interpunctella within 72hrs when compared to the amount needed to achieve 50% and 100% mortality in stem oil extract within 48hrs and 72hrs. Irrespective of the concentration administered to the animal, there were no significant alteration (p>0.05) in the toxicological test using both liver and kidney biochemical parameters.Conclusion: This study shows that root oil extract of C. patens is a very good fumigant poison to Plodia interpunctella with no toxic impact in wistar rats.

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The Chemical Defensome of Fish: Conservation and Divergence of Genes Involved in Sensing and Responding to Pollutants Among Five Model Teleosts

10.21203/rs.3.rs-175531/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Marta Eide ◽

Xiaokang Zhang ◽

Odd André Karlsen ◽

Jared V. Goldstone ◽

John Stegeman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fundulus Heteroclitus ◽

Gadus Morhua ◽

Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽

Atlantic Cod ◽

Environmental Pollutants ◽

Biotransformation Enzymes ◽

Toxicological Studies ◽

Evolutionary Branch ◽

Sense And Respond ◽

And Function

Abstract How an organism copes with chemicals is largely determined by the genes and proteins that collectively function to defend against, detoxify and eliminate chemical stressors. This integrative network includes receptors and transcription factors, biotransformation enzymes, transporters, antioxidants, and metal- and heat-responsive genes, and is collectively known as the chemical defensome. Although the types of defensome genes are generally conserved in animals, there are important differences in the complement and function of specific genes between species. Teleost fish is the largest group of vertebrate species and can provide valuable insights into the evolution and functional diversity of defensome genes.In this study, we compared the genes comprising the chemical defensome of five fish species that span the teleosteii evolutionary branch often used as model species in toxicological studies and environmental monitoring programs: zebrafish (Danio rerio), Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), medaka (Oryzias latipes), Atlantic killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus) and three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus). Genome miningrevealed evolved differences in the number and composition of defensome genes that can have implication for how these species sense and respond to environmental pollutants. The results indicate that knowledge regarding the diversity and function of the defensome will be important for toxicological testing and risk assessment studies.

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Metabolite Changes in an Estuarine Annelid Following Sublethal Exposure to a Mixture of Zinc and Boscalid

Metabolites ◽

10.3390/metabo9100229 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (10) ◽

pp. 229 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Sinclair ◽

O’Brien ◽

Keough ◽

de Souza ◽

Dayalan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle ◽

Environmental Pollutants ◽

Antagonistic Effect ◽

Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry ◽

Toxicological Assessment ◽

Gas And Liquid Chromatography ◽

Health Assessments ◽

Single Compound ◽

Sublethal Concentrations ◽

Growth And Reproduction

Environmental pollutants such as heavy metals and fungicides pose a serious threat to waterways worldwide. Toxicological assessment of such contaminants is usually conducted using single compound exposures, as it is challenging to understand the effect of mixtures on biota using standard ecotoxicological methods; whereas complex chemical mixtures are more probable in ecosystems. This study exposed Simplisetia aequisetis (an estuarine annelid) to sublethal concentrations of a metal (zinc) and a fungicide (boscalid), both singly and as a mixture, for two weeks. Metabolomic analysis via gas and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to measure the stress response(s) of the organism following exposure. A total of 75 metabolites, including compounds contributing to the tricarboxylic acid cycle, the urea cycle, and a number of other pathways, were identified and quantified. The multiplatform approach identified distinct metabolomic responses to each compound that differed depending on whether the substance was presented singly or as a mixture, indicating a possible antagonistic effect. The study demonstrates that metabolomics is able to elucidate the effects and mode of action of contaminants and can identify possible outcomes faster than standard ecotoxicological endpoints, such as growth and reproduction. Metabolomics therefore has a possible future role in biomonitoring and ecosystem health assessments.

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Toxicological Profiles of Nanomaterials

MRS Proceedings ◽

10.1557/proc-0895-g04-01-s04-01 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 895 ◽

Author(s):

Erik K Rushton ◽

Günter Oberdörster ◽

Jacob Finkelstein

Keyword(s):

Materials Science ◽

Safety Evaluation ◽

Hazard Identification ◽

Biological Applications ◽

New Materials ◽

Toxicological Assessment ◽

Biological Responses ◽

Toxic Potential ◽

New Applications ◽

Insight Into

AbstractWith the passage of the National Nanoscale Initiative in 2001 there has been increasing attention and funding given to nanomaterial research. This has led to a number of new materials developed at the nanoscale (< 100 nm) level, which often possess chemical and physical properties distinct from those of their bulk materials. These unique qualities are proving to be quite useful in a number of new applications. For example, biological applications in imaging, treatment, and drug delivery are particularly promising as well as the increasing engineering potential of nanocircuitry and materials science. As the number of applications increases however, so too does the potential for human exposure to nanomaterials through a number of routes: dermal, ingestion, inhalation, and even injection. Interestingly some of the properties of these nanomaterials that make them useful in these emerging technologies are the same properties that can increase their toxic potential. This is leading to an emerging discipline – nanotoxicology, which can be defined as safety evaluation of engineered nanostructures and nanodevices. Nanotoxicology research will not only provide information for risk assessment of nanomaterials based on data for hazard identification, dose response relationships and biokinetics, but will also help to further advance the field of nanoresearch by providing information to alter undesirable nanomaterials properties. Although nanotoxicology is in its infancy, there are some preliminary studies with newly developed materials that provide some insight into potential effects, which when coupled with older studies provides some insight on how these nanomaterials impact the biological system. This presentation summarizes results of studies with nanosized particles with a focus on the respiratory system and skin as portals of entry. The ability of particles to translocate from their site of entry, their ability to elicit biological responses, and their presumed mechanisms of action will be highlighted. This will be an attempt to illustrate how pervasive these materials can be, which may or may not be detrimental. With proper toxicological assessment this potential may be harnessed leading to breakthroughs at the nanotechnology – biology interface.

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Medicinal Plants from North and Central America and the Caribbean Considered Toxic for Humans: The Other Side of the Coin

Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine ◽

10.1155/2017/9439868 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2017 ◽

pp. 1-28 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Angel Josabad Alonso-Castro ◽

Fabiola Domínguez ◽

Alan Joel Ruiz-Padilla ◽

Nimsi Campos-Xolalpa ◽

Juan Ramón Zapata-Morales ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medicinal Plants ◽

Central America ◽

Limited Information ◽

Argemone Mexicana ◽

Herbal Products ◽

Toxicological Effects ◽

The Past ◽

Toxicological Studies ◽

Bibliographic Search ◽

The Caribbean

The consumption of medicinal plants has notably increased over the past two decades. People consider herbal products as safe because of their natural origin, without taking into consideration whether these plants contain a toxic principle. This represents a serious health problem. A bibliographic search was carried out using published scientific material on native plants from Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean, which describe the ethnobotanical and toxicological information of medicinal plants empirically considered to be toxic. A total of 216 medicinal plants belonging to 77 families have been reported as toxic. Of these plants, 76 had been studied, and 140 plants lacked studies regarding their toxicological effects. The toxicity of 16 plants species has been reported in clinical cases, particularly in children. From these plants, deaths have been reported with the consumption ofChenopodium ambrosioides,Argemone mexicana, andThevetia peruviana. In most of the cases, the principle of the plant responsible for the toxicity is unknown. There is limited information about the toxicity of medicinal plants used in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. More toxicological studies are necessary to contribute information about the safe use of the medicinal plants cited in this review.

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Microfluidic Electric Egg-Laying Assay and Application to In-vivo Toxicity Screening of Microplastics using C. elegans

10.1101/2021.01.16.426931 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Khaled Youssef ◽

Daphne Archonta ◽

Terrance J. Kubiseseki ◽

Anurag Tandon ◽

Pouya Rezai

Keyword(s):

Environmental Pollutants ◽

Egg Laying ◽

Electric Signal ◽

Data Sets ◽

Toxicity Screening ◽

C Elegans ◽

Toxicological Studies ◽

Individual Worm ◽

Polystyrene Microparticles

AbstractEnvironmental pollutants like microplastics are posing health concerns on aquatic animals and the ecosystem. Microplastic toxicity studies using C. elegans as a model are evolving but methodologically hindered from obtaining statistically strong data sets, detecting toxicity effects based on microplastics uptake, and correlating physiological and behavioural effects at an individual-worm level. In this paper, we report a novel microfluidic electric egg-laying assay for phenotypical assessment of multiple worms in parallel. The effects of glucose and polystyrene microplastics at various concentrations on the worms’ electric egg-laying, length, diameter, and length contraction during exposure to electric signal were studied. The device contained eight parallel worm-dwelling microchannels called electric traps, with equivalent electrical fields, in which the worms were electrically stimulated for egg deposition and fluorescently imaged for assessment of neuronal and microplastic uptake expression. A new bidirectional stimulation technique was developed, and the device design was optimized to achieve a testing efficiency of 91.25%. Exposure of worms to 100mM glucose resulted in a significant reduction in their egg-laying and size. The effects of 1μm polystyrene microparticles at concentrations of 100 and 1000 mg/L on the electric egg-laying behaviour, size, and neurodegeneration of N2 and NW1229 (expressing GFP pan-neuronally) worms were also studied. Of the two concentrations, 1000 mg/L caused severe egg-laying deficiency and growth retardation as well as neurodegeneration. Additionally, using single-worm level phenotyping, we noticed intra-population variability in microplastics uptake and correlation with the above physiological and behavioural phenotypes, which was hidden in the population-averaged results. Taken together, these results suggest the appropriateness of our microfluidic assay for toxicological studies and for assessing the phenotypical heterogeneity in response to microplastics.

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Zebrafish Embryos and Larvae as Alternative Animal Models for Toxicity Testing

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms222413417 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (24) ◽

pp. 13417

Author(s):

Benedikt Bauer ◽

Angela Mally ◽

Daniel Liedtke

Keyword(s):

Toxicity Testing ◽

Biological Properties ◽

Alternative Methods ◽

Zebrafish Embryos ◽

Laboratory Methods ◽

Potential Harm ◽

Toxicological Studies ◽

Laboratory Investigations ◽

Genetic Techniques ◽

Free Feeding

Prerequisite to any biological laboratory assay employing living animals is consideration about its necessity, feasibility, ethics and the potential harm caused during an experiment. The imperative of these thoughts has led to the formulation of the 3R-principle, which today is a pivotal scientific standard of animal experimentation worldwide. The rising amount of laboratory investigations utilizing living animals throughout the last decades, either for regulatory concerns or for basic science, demands the development of alternative methods in accordance with 3R to help reduce experiments in mammals. This demand has resulted in investigation of additional vertebrate species displaying favourable biological properties. One prominent species among these is the zebrafish (Danio rerio), as these small laboratory ray-finned fish are well established in science today and feature outstanding biological characteristics. In this review, we highlight the advantages and general prerequisites of zebrafish embryos and larvae before free-feeding stages for toxicological testing, with a particular focus on cardio-, neuro, hepato- and nephrotoxicity. Furthermore, we discuss toxicokinetics, current advances in utilizing zebrafish for organ toxicity testing and highlight how advanced laboratory methods (such as automation, advanced imaging and genetic techniques) can refine future toxicological studies in this species.

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A Review of Pharmacological and Toxicological Effects of Sophora tonkinensis with Bioinformatics Prediction

The American Journal of Chinese Medicine ◽

10.1142/s0192415x21500178 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-31

Author(s):

Shuai-Nan Zhang ◽

Xu-Zhao Li ◽

Long-Yan Tan ◽

Kui-Yuan Zhu

Keyword(s):

Literature Analysis ◽

Potential Toxicity ◽

Laryngeal Diseases ◽

Toxicological Effects ◽

South Central ◽

Anticancer Effects ◽

Traditional Chinese Medicine Theory ◽

Toxicological Studies ◽

Sophora Tonkinensis ◽

Chinese Medicine Theory

Sophora tonkinensis Gagnep. (ST) (Fabaceae) is distributed chiefly in south-central and southeast China and Vietnam. In traditional Chinese medicine theory, the root and rhizome of ST are toxic and mainly used in the treatment of pharyngeal and laryngeal diseases. Modern studies provide new insights into the pharmacological and toxicological aspects of ST. The pharmacological and toxicological properties of ST were reviewed in this paper based on the literature from Google Scholar and CNKI, and the bioinformatics platforms were applied to explore the pharmacological and toxicological potentials of ST. The results of the literature analysis showed that ST has hepatoprotective, immunomodulatory, and anticancer effects and produces obvious toxicity to the liver and nervous and cardiovascular system. The results of bioinformatics showed that the compounds from ST may be applied to the treatment of cancer and digestive and nervous system diseases and show the possibility to cause hematotoxicity, neurotoxicity, and immunotoxicity. The present review demonstrates that attention should be paid to the potential toxicity of ST in the treatment of diseases and provides the reference for the subsequent pharmacological toxicological studies on the mechanism and chemical basis of ST.

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