Unveiling the noxious effect of polystyrene microplastics in aquatic ecosystems and their toxicological behavior on fishes and microalgae

Microplastic (MP) particles are considered noxious pollutants due to their presence in aquatic habitats at almost every level of the food chain. Thus, the entry of MP particles into marine waterbodies has triggered a common research interest. Until recently, the toxicity of polystyrene towards aquat...

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Main Authors: Nurin Nabilah Jalaudin Basha, Nurfarwizah Binti Adzuan Hafiz, Mohamed Syazwan Osman, Noor Fitrah Abu Bakar
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2023-05-01
Series:Frontiers in Toxicology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/ftox.2023.1135081/full
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author Nurin Nabilah Jalaudin Basha
Nurfarwizah Binti Adzuan Hafiz
Mohamed Syazwan Osman
Noor Fitrah Abu Bakar
author_facet Nurin Nabilah Jalaudin Basha
Nurfarwizah Binti Adzuan Hafiz
Mohamed Syazwan Osman
Noor Fitrah Abu Bakar
author_sort Nurin Nabilah Jalaudin Basha
collection DOAJ
description Microplastic (MP) particles are considered noxious pollutants due to their presence in aquatic habitats at almost every level of the food chain. Thus, the entry of MP particles into marine waterbodies has triggered a common research interest. Until recently, the toxicity of polystyrene towards aquatic creatures in comparison to other polymers has not been widely investigated. This article provides an extensive overview of the occurrence of microplastic particles, the route of polystyrene (PS) in the aquatic ecosystem, the PS properties characterization, and its noxious effects on the aquatic biota, particularly fishes and microalgae. Alarming high levels of polystyrene were found in urban, coastal, and rural surface waters and sediments. The fast-screening technique began with a stereoscope to determine the polystyrene particles’ shape, size, and color on the organism. SEM and complemented by micro FTIR or Raman spectroscopy were used to evaluate MP’s polymer structures. The findings present evidence suggesting that polystyrene buildup in fish can have long-term and unknown consequences. Meanwhile, the presence of polystyrene on microalgae causes a decrease in chlorophyll concentration and photosynthetic activity, which may disrupt photosynthesis by interfering with the electron characters and leading to the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS).
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spelling doaj.art-159d668be8c44012b903be6592d992f02023-05-04T04:23:45ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Toxicology2673-30802023-05-01510.3389/ftox.2023.11350811135081Unveiling the noxious effect of polystyrene microplastics in aquatic ecosystems and their toxicological behavior on fishes and microalgaeNurin Nabilah Jalaudin Basha0Nurfarwizah Binti Adzuan Hafiz1Mohamed Syazwan Osman2Noor Fitrah Abu Bakar3EMZI-UiTM Nanoparticles Colloids & Interface Industrial Research Laboratory (NANO-CORE), Chemical Engineering Studies, College of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Cawangan Pulau Pinang, Permatang Pauh Campus, Pulau Pinang, MalaysiaEMZI-UiTM Nanoparticles Colloids & Interface Industrial Research Laboratory (NANO-CORE), Chemical Engineering Studies, College of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Cawangan Pulau Pinang, Permatang Pauh Campus, Pulau Pinang, MalaysiaEMZI-UiTM Nanoparticles Colloids & Interface Industrial Research Laboratory (NANO-CORE), Chemical Engineering Studies, College of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Cawangan Pulau Pinang, Permatang Pauh Campus, Pulau Pinang, MalaysiaSchool of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA Shah Alam, Shah Alam, MalaysiaMicroplastic (MP) particles are considered noxious pollutants due to their presence in aquatic habitats at almost every level of the food chain. Thus, the entry of MP particles into marine waterbodies has triggered a common research interest. Until recently, the toxicity of polystyrene towards aquatic creatures in comparison to other polymers has not been widely investigated. This article provides an extensive overview of the occurrence of microplastic particles, the route of polystyrene (PS) in the aquatic ecosystem, the PS properties characterization, and its noxious effects on the aquatic biota, particularly fishes and microalgae. Alarming high levels of polystyrene were found in urban, coastal, and rural surface waters and sediments. The fast-screening technique began with a stereoscope to determine the polystyrene particles’ shape, size, and color on the organism. SEM and complemented by micro FTIR or Raman spectroscopy were used to evaluate MP’s polymer structures. The findings present evidence suggesting that polystyrene buildup in fish can have long-term and unknown consequences. Meanwhile, the presence of polystyrene on microalgae causes a decrease in chlorophyll concentration and photosynthetic activity, which may disrupt photosynthesis by interfering with the electron characters and leading to the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS).https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/ftox.2023.1135081/fullpolystyrene microplasticsabundanceidentificationtoxicologicalmicroalgaefishes
spellingShingle Nurin Nabilah Jalaudin Basha
Nurfarwizah Binti Adzuan Hafiz
Mohamed Syazwan Osman
Noor Fitrah Abu Bakar
Unveiling the noxious effect of polystyrene microplastics in aquatic ecosystems and their toxicological behavior on fishes and microalgae
Frontiers in Toxicology
polystyrene microplastics
abundance
identification
toxicological
microalgae
fishes
title Unveiling the noxious effect of polystyrene microplastics in aquatic ecosystems and their toxicological behavior on fishes and microalgae
title_full Unveiling the noxious effect of polystyrene microplastics in aquatic ecosystems and their toxicological behavior on fishes and microalgae
title_fullStr Unveiling the noxious effect of polystyrene microplastics in aquatic ecosystems and their toxicological behavior on fishes and microalgae
title_full_unstemmed Unveiling the noxious effect of polystyrene microplastics in aquatic ecosystems and their toxicological behavior on fishes and microalgae
title_short Unveiling the noxious effect of polystyrene microplastics in aquatic ecosystems and their toxicological behavior on fishes and microalgae
title_sort unveiling the noxious effect of polystyrene microplastics in aquatic ecosystems and their toxicological behavior on fishes and microalgae
topic polystyrene microplastics
abundance
identification
toxicological
microalgae
fishes
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/ftox.2023.1135081/full
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