Polystyrene nanoplastics inhibit reproduction and induce abnormal embryonic development in the freshwater crustacean Daphnia galeata

We assayed the toxicity of polystyrene nanoparticles (PS-NP, 52 nm) to Daphnia galeata. Survival and reproduction were significantly decreased in individuals exposed to 5 mg/L of PS-NP for 5 days, and embryos showed abnormal development, including a low hatching rate. Using fluorescence confocal microscopy, we recorded the transfer of PS-NP from the external surface of the body to the internal organs, including the thoracic appendices, ovaries, caudal appendices, and brood chamber, as well as PS-NP storage in lipid droplets. Although embryos were exposed to PS-NP in the brood chamber, they did not internalize PS-NP. Exposed D. galeata adults that were not pregnant stored significantly fewer lipid droplets than did the control group, and the lipid droplets that they did store were smaller; meanwhile, there were no significant changes in lipid storage in exposed pregnant individuals. Some embryos showed a high level of lipid storage, a response that occurs when embryos experience an abnormal state, and these embryos showed a very low hatching rate. However, the offspring of exposed adults showed normal survival and lipid storage. This study provides visual evidence that confirms the transfer and effects of PS-NP in Daphnia species, and suggests a relationship between toxicity and lipid storage.

• Publication year

  2017

• Venue

  Scientific Reports

• Publication date

  2017-09-21

• Fields of study

  Biology, Medicine, Environmental Science

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1038/s41598-017-12299-2PMID 28935955PMCID 5608696
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar, PubMed

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

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