Effects of secondary polyethylene microplastic exposure on crucian (Carassius carassius) growth, liver damage, and gut microbiome composition

Abstract

Microplastics (MPs) have been found in the natural environment and even in the organs of fish, which is attracting worldwide attention. In this study, agricultural film was milled to simulate secondary polyethylene microplastics (PE-MPs) to evaluate their effect and toxicity on the growth, liver damage, and gut microbiome composition of crucian (Carassius carassius), a common freshwater fish, after 30 days of feed exposure. Three fish feed treatments with different PE-MPs concentrations, low, medium, and high, whose PE-MPs intake was 6.38, 12.18, and 22.33 mg MPs/fish/day, respectively, were used. The results indicated that crucian growth was promoted in the low and medium PE-MPs groups due to the increase in Firmicutes and decrease in Bacteroidetes, probably resulting in obesity and lipid accumulation, while the growth rate of crucians in the high PE-MPs group showed a clear downward trend. Severe liver damage was observed in PE-MPs-treated groups. Disordered liver tissue and necrosis of pancreatic acinar epithelial cells were observed in the medium and high PE-MPs groups compared with those of the control group. The gut microbiome composition of crucians showed significant alteration, and some harmful bacteria were found in the gut following PE-MPs exposure. Alpha diversity indices revealed that the diversity of the gut microbiome rose markedly in the low, medium, and high PE-MPs groups. This study suggests that MPs adversely affect crucian growth and health, with increased disease risk.