Microplastics have additive effects on cadmium accumulation and toxicity in Rice flower carp (Procypris merus)

Chunxing Cheng; Wenfei Tian; Yangyang Wu; Jinyou Wei; Liu Yang; Yuwei Wei; Jiaoyun Jiang

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172679

Microplastics have additive effects on cadmium accumulation and toxicity in Rice flower carp (Procypris merus)

Sci Total Environ. 2024 Jun 20:930:172679. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172679. Epub 2024 Apr 25.

Authors

Chunxing Cheng¹, Wenfei Tian², Yangyang Wu¹, Jinyou Wei¹, Liu Yang¹, Yuwei Wei¹, Jiaoyun Jiang³

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection, Guangxi Normal University, Ministry of Education, Guilin 541006, China.
² College of Intelligent Medicine and Biotechnology, Guilin Medical University, Guilin 541004, China.
³ Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection, Guangxi Normal University, Ministry of Education, Guilin 541006, China; Guangxi Key Laboratory of Rare and Endangered Animal Ecology, Gangxi Normal University, Guilin 541006, China; Guangxi Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biotechnology, Guangxi Veterinary Research Institute, Nanning 530001, China. Electronic address: Jiangjy@mailbox.gxnu.edu.cn.

PMID: 38677436
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172679

Abstract

Procypris merus, a local fish species found in Guangxi, China is often exposed to both microplastics (MPs) and Cd. However, it remains unclear how these two pollutants affect P. merus. Therefore, we investigated the effects of MPs on Cd accumulation in P. merus. To this end, P. merus was separately exposed to Cd and MPs (500 μg/L) or their combination for 14 days. We found that MPs enhanced Cd accumulation in liver and gills of P. merus. Further, both the single-contaminant (MP and Cd) and combined treatments resulted in lesions in these two tissues, with more severe damage associated with the combined treatment. Even though the effect of MP on the antioxidant defense system of P. merus was limited, the Cd-only and combined treatments considerably affected the antioxidant parameters of P. merus, with the combined treatment showing a stronger effect. GO and KEGG analyses revealed that the differentially expressed genes (DEGs; TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand receptor, trail-r) in the Cd-only treatment group were enriched for immune-related GO terms and cell growth and death related pathways, indicating that Cd toxicity affected immune defense in P. merus. The MP-only treatment downregulated DEGs (acyl-CoA synthetase long chain family member 1a, acsl1a) related to lipid metabolism, possibly leading to lipid accumulation in the liver. The combined treatment also upregulated DEGs (aspartate aminotransferase 1, ast 1) associated with immune-related GO terms and amino acid metabolism pathways, suggesting that it affected immune function in P. merus, thereby negatively impacting its health. Results indicated that MPs have additive effects on Cd accumulation and toxicity in rice flower carp. Consequently, MPs ingested by P. merus can promote Cd accumulation, more adverse effects on the health may occur after combined exposure, which can eventually reach humans through the food chain and pose potential risks to human health.

Keywords: Cadmium; Histopathology; Microplastics; Oxidative stress; Procypris merus; Transcriptome analysis.

MeSH terms

Animals
Cadmium* / toxicity
Carps* / physiology
China
Liver / drug effects
Liver / metabolism
Microplastics* / toxicity
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / toxicity

Substances

Water Pollutants, Chemical
Cadmium
Microplastics