Effects of virgin microplastics on goldfish (Carassius auratus)

Microplastics (MPs) are abundant in freshwater and marine environments. They are diverse shape and size and are ingested by organisms. In this study, goldfish (Carassius auratus) were exposed via diet to three types of virgin MPs material types and shapes including fibers, fragments, and pellets. After six weeks of exposure, various sub-lethal effects, but no mortality, was observed. Fish exposed to plastic showed significant weight loss compared with the control. Fibers were found in the gills, gastrointestinal tract (GIT), and feces were not likely to accumulate in the GIT. Pronounced and severe alterations were found in the livers of fish exposed to fibers. The distal intestine showed more pronounced and severe changes compared to the proximal intestine, likely due to an intake of fibers. The ingestion of fibers caused the highest frequencies of progressive and inflammatory changes in the livers and intestines. This is in accordance with the higher organ index in these organs compared to other texa. Conversely, fragments and pellets were not ingested but chewed and expelled. Chewing process resulted in damages to the jaws as ranging from slight exfoliation to deep incisions. The highest frequency of regressive and circulatory (e.g., dilated sinusoids) changes was found in fish exposed to fragments, specifically in the upper and lower jaw, and in lower jaw and liver, respectively. Together, these results demonstrate that ingestion and chewing of MPs lead to damages in various organs and tissues of the gastrointestinal system, and suggest that different materials can have drastically different impacts on fish. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Amelioration by Morus Nigra Fruit Extract on Testes, Seminiferous Tubules and Spermatic Cells by Chromium Induced Histopathologies in Mice

Male toxicology in terms of histopathology of testes, histometery of seminiferous tubules and various spermatic cells against short-term hexavalent chromium Cr(VI) exposure & their ameliorations upon post treatment of Morus nigra fruit pulp extract (MnFPE) were studied. There were 3 groups of animals named as 1. Control (C) group: received free normal drinking water for 15 days; 2. Chromium (Cr VI) group: received hexavalent chromium Cr(VI) in drinking water for 10 days; 3. Chromium+Morus nigra (Cr VI+Mn) group: received Cr(VI) in drinking water for 10 days; additionally received 0.2mL MnFPE twice a day for next 5 days. The whole study duration was 15 days and animals of all groups were dissected at day 16th. Histopathological results shows drastic pathological changes in testicular tissue on chromium Cr(VI) exposure group like necrosis of interstitial tissues, ruptured seminiferous tubules, scattered spermatogonia and dislodged spermatogenic cells, increased number of clubs headed sperms and lack of tail in dislodged parrot beak headed spermatozoa in Cr(VI) treated group. Most of these pathological signs were recovered effectively in Cr(VI)+Mn group. Histometeric results give a strong evidence for the above mentioned histological results. Most of these micrometric alterations were found in Cr(VI) group were addressed properly in Cr(VI)+Mn group. These findings suggest that MnFPE has got curative properties against short-term hexavalent chromium Cr(VI) exposure

Microplastic Pollution in Table Salts from China

Microplastics have been found in seas all over the world. We hypothesize that sea salts might contain microplastics, because they are directly supplied by seawater. To test our hypothesis, we collected 15 brands of sea salts, lake salts, and rock/well salts from supermarkets throughout China. The microplastics content was 550–681 particles/kg in sea salts, 43–364 particles/kg in lake salts, and 7–204 particles/kg in rock/well salts. In sea salts, fragments and fibers were the prevalent types of particles compared with pellets and sheets. Microplastics measuring less than 200 μm represented the majority of the particles, accounting for 55% of the total microplastics, and the most common microplastics were polyethylene terephthalate, followed by polyethylene and cellophane in sea salts. The abundance of microplastics in sea salts was significantly higher than that in lake salts and rock/well salts. This result indicates that sea products, such as sea salts, are contaminated by microplastics. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on microplastic pollution in abiotic sea products