title: Biomarker responses in zebrafish (Danio rerio) larvae exposed to pristine low-density polyethylene fragments.
abstract: There are serious concerns over the adverse impacts of microplastics (MPs) on living organisms. The main objective of this study was to test the effects of MPs on the total length, weight, condition factor (CF), transcriptional level of antioxidant, anti and pro-apoptotic, and neurotransmitter genes, and the histopathology of the gill, liver, brain, kidney, and intestine in the larvae of zebrafish (Danio rerio). Fish were exposed to one of three levels of pristine low-density polyethylene (LDPE) fragments (5, 50, or 500 μg/L) for 10 or 20 days. No significant changes were observed in any of the selected biomarkers across MP concentrations at days 10 or 20. The expression of casp9 (caspase 9, apoptosis-related cysteine protease), casp3a (caspase 3, apoptosis-related cysteine protease a) and cat (catalase), however, were significantly lower in the larvae sampled at day 20 than day 10. We provide evidence that virgin short-term exposure to LDPE fragments has minimal impact on biomarker responses in D. rerio larvae.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Aquatic Toxicology, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Selangor, Malaysia. Electronic address: alikaramiv@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Karami
authors.affiliation: Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada.
authors.forename: David B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Groman
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia.
authors.forename: Scott P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Selangor, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Patimah
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ismail
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Selangor, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Vasantha K
authors.initials: VK
authors.lastname: Neela
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D049628:Body Size / Q000187:drug effects; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D005819:Genetic Markers / Q000235:genetics*; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism; D007422:Intestines / Q000187:drug effects; D007814:Larva / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D020959:Polyethylene / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000633:toxicity*; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development
chemical_list: D005819:Genetic Markers; D020959:Polyethylene
keywords: Antioxidant; Apoptosis; Fragment; Histopathology; Neurotransmitter; Polyethylene