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. 2022 Nov 8;11(11):1634.
doi: 10.3390/biology11111634.

A Biomarker Approach as Responses of Bioindicator Commercial Fish Species to Microplastic Ingestion: Assessing Tissue and Biochemical Relationships

Xavier Capó  1 , Merce Morató  1 , Carme Alomar  1 , Beatriz Rios-Fuster  1 , Maria Valls  1 , Montserrat Compa  1 , Salud Deudero  1
Affiliations

A Biomarker Approach as Responses of Bioindicator Commercial Fish Species to Microplastic Ingestion: Assessing Tissue and Biochemical Relationships

Xavier Capó et al. Biology (Basel). .

Abstract

Plastic debris is a growing environmental problem on a global scale, as plastics and microplastics (MPs) can be ingested by marine organisms, inducing toxic effects. The aim of this study was to assess MP intake and antioxidant responses in three bioindicator species: red mullet, bogue, and anchovy (Mullus surmuletus, Boops boops, and Engraulis encrasicolus, respectively) for plastic contamination in the Mediterranean Sea. MP intake was assessed in the gastrointestinal tract of the fish. Further, several enzymes from both the liver and brain were analysed. The antioxidant defences, catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), as well as the detoxifying enzyme glutathione-S-transferase (GST), were measured in both tissues. The acetylcholine esterase (AchE), as an indicator of neuronal damage, was measured in the brain. Malondialdehyde (MDA) was analysed as a marker of oxidative damage in the brain and liver samples. Total MP intake and MP typology differed between the three species, with M. surmuletus showing the lowest intake of MPs, while B. boops showed the highest intake of MPs. An increase in both antioxidant enzymes was evidenced in E. encrasicolus liver activity with respect to MP intake. In brain samples, an increase in CAT activity was found in M. surmuletus and B. boops as a consequence of MP ingestion. SOD activity in the brain increased in B. boops and E. encrasicolus that had ingested MPs. GST activity increased in the liver of M. surmuletus' and in brains of B. boops that had ingested MPs. The intake of MPs is species related, as well as being inherently linked to the habitat they live in and being able to induce a light activation of species-specific detoxifying and antioxidant mechanisms.

Keywords: biomarkers; detoxification; microplastics; oxidative stress.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Map of the locations of the sampling sites in the surrounding waters of the Cabrera Archipelago Maritime-Terrestrial National Park. Inset map indicates the location of the sampling area in the Balearic Islands in the western Mediterranean Sea.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Relative abundance of different types of MPs ingested in commercial fish. (A) MPs size (B) MPs shape (C) MPs colour.
Figure 3
Figure 3
GST activity in both tissues in the three study species. * indicates significant differences with respect to no MP ingestion. Brain and liver of 44 M. surmuletus, 51 B. boops, and 34 E. encrasicolus were used to perform this determination. Statistical analysis: one-way ANOVA. p < 0.05.
Figure 4
Figure 4
AChE activity in brain in the three study species. Brain and liver of 44 M. surmuletus, 51 B. boops, and 34 E. encrasicolus were used to perform this determination. Statistical analysis: one-way ANOVA. p < 0.05.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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