Genotoxic Properties of Polystyrene (PS) Microspheres in the Filter-Feeder Mollusk Mytilus trossulus (Gould, 1850)

Victor Pavlovich Chelomin,Andrey Alexandrovich Mazur,Nadezda Vladimirovna Dovzhenko,Sergey Petrovich Kukla,Valentina Vladimirovna Slobodskova

doi:10.3390/jmse10020273

Victor Pavlovich Chelomin, Andrey Alexandrovich Mazur + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse10020273

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Abstract

Microplastic pollution of the aquatic environment is one of the most serious environmental problems today. The potential environmental risks of such particles have become growing concerns in recent years, as direct or indirect exposure to these particles leads to adverse effects on marine organisms. In this study, we investigated the potential risk of polystyrene (PS) microspheres on the genome integrity of cells of different tissues (gills and digestive gland) of the filter-feeder mollusk Mytilus trossulus, using a comet assay. With the help of the comet assay, we estimated the level of genome destruction in the cells of two different mussel tissues after short-term exposure to polystyrene. It was discovered that, despite their chemical inertness, PS microspheres that are 0.9 µm in diameter, at a concentration of 106 particles/L, exhibit genotoxic properties, which are expressed as a two-fold increase in the level of cell DNA damage of the mussel’s digestive gland. It is noted that, after exposure to PS, about half of the mussel’s digestive gland cells experienced damage in 25–35% of their DNA. In addition, the proportion of cells with significant DNA damage (50%) was about 5%. Given the unique role of the genome, DNA damage in these cells may be the earliest stage in the development of biochemical events that lead to toxic effects. These findings provide a basis for studying specific biomarkers of microplastic contamination.

Highlights

IntroductionThe marine environment and the animals that inhabit it are greatly affected by human-generated waste, in addition to many other natural factors, among which plastic litter occupies a prominent place
Nowadays, the marine environment and the animals that inhabit it are greatly affected by human-generated waste, in addition to many other natural factors, among which plastic litter occupies a prominent place.This problem has become acute following the discovery of micro-sized plastic particles in the marine environment, as a result of the destruction of large plastic products
As a result of the study, using cometary analysis, it became possible to assess the level of DNA damage in the cells of two tissues of the mussel M. trossulus, before and after short-term exposure to PS microparticles (Figure 1)

Summary

Introduction

The marine environment and the animals that inhabit it are greatly affected by human-generated waste, in addition to many other natural factors, among which plastic litter occupies a prominent place. This problem has become acute following the discovery of micro-sized plastic particles in the marine environment, as a result of the destruction of large plastic products. In the marine environment, large floating polymer fragments become rigid and brittle, as a result of photocatalytic autoxidation (involving UV, temperature, and oxygen), and break up into microscopic fragments of varying sizes under wave and wind activities Such particles, ranging in size from a few millimeters to a few microns, have been defined in the literature as “microplastics”. With a size commensurate with the food particles of most marine hydrobionts, microplastic particles are actively or passively ingested by these marine hydrobionts, being incorporated into various food chains [1,2,3,4].

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