Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 12, 2026
06:46
Accumulation and Distribution of Fluorescent Microplastics in the Early Life Stages of Zebrafish
Published on: July 4, 2021
Infiltrating Biodegradable Microplastics in Zebrafish Blood: From Size Barrier Penetration to Risk
Lanpeng Yang1,2, Wen-Xiong Wang1,2
1School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Kowloon999077, China.
Environmental Science & Technology
|August 11, 2026
Summary
Biodegradable plastics (BPs) can enter aquatic organisms' blood, causing oxidative stress and tissue damage. Even at low concentrations, these microplastics pose potential risks to wildlife, highlighting the need for further environmental testing.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Toxicology
- Materials Science
Background:
- Biodegradable plastics (BPs) are increasingly prevalent, leading to greater exposure of aquatic organisms to microplastics (BMPs).
- The ability of BMPs to cross biological barriers and their associated risks at environmentally relevant concentrations are not well understood.
- Blood is a critical transport system for microplastics (MPs) after they breach biological barriers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the translocation and toxicity of polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics in zebrafish blood.
- To assess the risks associated with PLA and its photoaged form (UV-PLA) at environmentally relevant concentrations.
- To establish dose-response relationships and benchmark dose (BMD) values for PLA exposure in vivo.
Main Methods:
- Utilized an integrated bioimaging platform including electron microscopy, confocal imaging, and near-infrared (NIR) imaging with an activatable probe.
- Investigated PLA and UV-PLA in zebrafish blood at concentrations ranging from 50-500 μg/L.
- Employed the benchmark dose (BMD) modeling approach to evaluate dose-response relationships for various endpoints.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated that PLA microplastics, with a size threshold of approximately 3 μm, can enter zebrafish circulation.
- Observed interactions between PLA and blood cells, leading to oxidative stress, redox imbalance, and liver tissue damage.
- Determined that UV-PLA exhibited a lower mean BMD (32.9 ± 12.4 μg/L) than PLA (51.6 ± 47.0 μg/L), with both values below reported levels in polluted areas.
Conclusions:
- Provided in vivo evidence for the blood translocation and sublethal toxicity of PLA microplastics in aquatic organisms.
- Highlighted potential risks posed by PLA and UV-PLA at concentrations found in polluted environments.
- Emphasized the necessity for developing sensitive endpoints and conducting tests under environmentally relevant conditions to assess microplastic risks.
