Genotoxicity of Polystyrene (PS) Microspheres in Short-Term Exposure to Gametes of the Sand Dollar Scaphechinus mirabilis (Agassiz, 1864) (Echinodermata, Echinoidea)

Abstract

Microplastic pollution appears to be one of the major environmental problems in the world today, and researchers have been paying special attention to the study of the impact of microplastics on biota. In this article, we studied the short-term effects of polystyrene micro-spheres on genome integrity using the gametes of the Scaphechinus mirabilis sand dollar with the comet assay method. This highly sensitive method allowed us to identify the level of genome damage in both gametes before and after short-term exposure to PS microparticles. It was shown that primary polystyrene microspheres at concentrations of 104, 105, and 106 particles/L had a genotoxic effect during short-term exposure to the sperm of the sand dollar S. mirabilis, which was expressed as a significant increase in sperm DNA damage. The highest percentage of DNA damage (more than 20%) was detected in spermatozoa exposed for 1 h in water containing 105 microspheres of plastic per 1 L. Additionally, at all concentrations of microplastic studied in the experiment, the genetic damage index (GDI) values in spermatozoa exceeded the control level. However, regardless of the level of DNA damage, spermatozoa retained the ability to fertilise eggs with up to 97% efficiency. We must acknowledge that the genotoxic property of microplastic against sperm to some extent predicts the development of long-term adverse effects of environmental significance.

Polystyrene Nanoplastics in Aquatic Microenvironments Affect Sperm Metabolism and Fertilization of Mytilus galloprovincialis (Lamark, 1819)

“…Another endpoint analyzed in our study was the overexpression of ROS, an index of the oxidative stress state of cells. It is known that an imbalance between antioxidant and oxidant systems causes the uncontrolled release of radical molecules, which can react with macromolecules by oxidizing and degrading them through lipid peroxidation phenomena [74,75]. In our study, no evidence of increased ROS after 30 min of exposure was found, although in another study, significant ROS generation and subsequent oxidative stress were described after 5 h of exposure [55].…”

Genotoxic Effects of Exposure to Water-Soluble Fraction of Diesel Fuel in Sand Dollar Scaphechinus mirabilis Gametes

“…The sand dollar S. mirabilis proposed as an object of study is widely distributed in the Far East region, and is well studied and sensitive to the impact of natural and anthropogenic factors [ 33 , 34 , 35 ]. The sand dollar S. mirabilis , as a typical representative of the class of sea urchins, throws out germ cells directly into sea water during the spawning period, where fertilization and further development of embryos and larvae take place.…”

Impact of Chlorella vulgaris Bioremediation and Selenium on Genotoxicity, Nephrotoxicity and Oxidative/Antioxidant Imbalance Induced by Polystyrene Nanoplastics in African Catfish (Clarias gariepinus)

“…Based on the previous data, it has been observed that both MPs and NPs can induce DNA strand breaks, with the extent of the damage being influenced by their respective size and surface charge. Although the exact mechanism by which MPs/NPs induce DNA damage has yet to be fully understood, several investigations suggest that oxidative stress and physical interaction are pivotal in instigating DNA strand breaks by MPs and NPs [62,63]. Additionally, synthetic polymers may have low-molecular-weight fragments of mono-and oligomers, catalysts, artificial stabilizers and a variety of particular chemical additives such as (phthalates, bisphenol A, stabilizers, pigments, flame retardants and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), each of which has genotoxic properties [64].…”