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Zink L, Wood CM. The effects of microplastics on ionoregulatory processes in the gills of freshwater fish and invertebrates: A prospective review. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2024; 295:111669. [PMID: 38806110 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2024.111669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2024] [Revised: 05/24/2024] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/30/2024]
Abstract
From review of the very few topical studies to date, we conclude that while effects are variable, microplastics can induce direct ionoregulatory disturbances in freshwater fish and invertebrates. However, the intensity depends on microplastic type, size, concentration, and exposure regime. More numerous are studies where indirect inferences about possible ionoregulatory effects can be drawn; these indicate increased mucus production, altered breathing, histopathological effects on gill structure, oxidative stress, and alterations in molecular pathways. All of these could have negative effects on ionoregulatory homeostasis. However, previous research has suffered from a lack of standardized reporting of microplastic characteristics and exposure conditions. Often overlooked is the fact that microplastics are dynamic contaminants, changing over time through degradation and fragmentation and subsequently exhibiting altered surface chemistry, notably an increased presence and diversity of functional groups. The same functional groups characterized on microplastics are also present in dissolved organic matter, often termed dissolved organic carbon (DOC), a class of substances for which we have a far greater understanding of their ionoregulatory actions. We highlight instances in which the effects of microplastic exposure resemble those of DOC exposure. We propose that in future microplastic investigations, in vivo techniques that have proven useful in understanding the ionoregulatory effects of DOC should be used including measurements of transepithelial potential, net and unidirectional radio-isotopic ion flux rates, and concentration kinetic analyses of uptake transport. More sophisticated in vitro approaches using cultured gill epithelia, Ussing chamber experiments on gill surrogate membranes, and scanning ion selective electrode techniques (SIET) may also prove useful. Finally, in future studies we advocate for minimum reporting requirements of microplastic properties and experimental conditions to help advance this important emerging field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Zink
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, British Columbia, Canada.
| | - Chris M Wood
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, British Columbia, Canada
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François-Étienne S, Nicolas L, Eric N, Jaqueline C, Pierre-Luc M, Sidki B, Aleicia H, Danilo B, Luis VA, Nicolas D. Important role of endogenous microbial symbionts of fish gills in the challenging but highly biodiverse Amazonian blackwaters. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3903. [PMID: 37414754 PMCID: PMC10326040 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39461-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Amazonian blackwaters are extremely biodiverse systems containing some of Earth's most naturally acidic, dissolved organic carbon -rich and ion-poor waters. Physiological adaptations of fish facing these ionoregulatory challenges are unresolved but could involve microbially-mediated processes. Here, we characterize the physiological response of 964 fish-microbe systems from four blackwater Teleost species along a natural hydrochemical gradient, using dual RNA-Seq and 16 S rRNA of gill samples. We find that host transcriptional responses to blackwaters are species-specific, but occasionally include the overexpression of Toll-receptors and integrins associated to interkingdom communication. Blackwater gill microbiomes are characterized by a transcriptionally-active betaproteobacterial cluster potentially interfering with epithelial permeability. We explore further blackwater fish-microbe interactions by analyzing transcriptomes of axenic zebrafish larvae exposed to sterile, non-sterile and inverted (non-native bacterioplankton) blackwater. We find that axenic zebrafish survive poorly when exposed to sterile/inverted blackwater. Overall, our results suggest a critical role for endogenous symbionts in blackwater fish physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylvain François-Étienne
- Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes, Université Laval, 1030 avenue de la Médecine, Québec (QC), G1V 0A6, Canada.
- Fisheries and Oceans, Gulf Fisheries Center, 343 University Ave, Moncton, NB, E1C 5K4, Canada.
| | - Leroux Nicolas
- Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes, Université Laval, 1030 avenue de la Médecine, Québec (QC), G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Normandeau Eric
- Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes, Université Laval, 1030 avenue de la Médecine, Québec (QC), G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Custodio Jaqueline
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA), Laboratório de Ecofisiologia e Evolução Molecular, Manaus, AM, 69067-375, Brazil
| | - Mercier Pierre-Luc
- Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes, Université Laval, 1030 avenue de la Médecine, Québec (QC), G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Bouslama Sidki
- Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes, Université Laval, 1030 avenue de la Médecine, Québec (QC), G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Holland Aleicia
- La Trobe University, School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment, Department of Environment and Genetics, Centre for Freshwater Ecosystems, Albury/Wodonga Campus, Vic, Australia
| | - Barroso Danilo
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA), Laboratório de Ecofisiologia e Evolução Molecular, Manaus, AM, 69067-375, Brazil
| | - Val Adalberto Luis
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA), Laboratório de Ecofisiologia e Evolução Molecular, Manaus, AM, 69067-375, Brazil
| | - Derome Nicolas
- Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes, Université Laval, 1030 avenue de la Médecine, Québec (QC), G1V 0A6, Canada
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Zheng S, Wang WX. Disturbing ion regulation and excretion in medaka (Oryzias melastigma) gills by microplastics: Insights from the gut-gill axis. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 857:159353. [PMID: 36252659 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2022] [Revised: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The accumulation of microplastics (MPs) in fish gills has been widely recognized, however, whether such stress could thereby impact the physiological responses of fish gills is still unknown. Here, we investigated the impacts of three sizes (400 nm, 4 μm, 20 μm) of polystyrene (PS) MPs on (Na+, K+, Cl-) ions regulation and ammonia excretion in medaka Oryzias melastigma. Significantly increased net Na+ and K+ flux rates were observed transiently during 0-3 h and 3-9 h, but not during 9-24 h. Such results suggest that the physiological resilience of fish gills regarding Na+ and K+ regulation was unaffected upon the exposure to PS-MPs, probably evidenced by the increased secretion of mucus. However, Cl- regulation and ammonia excretion were significantly impaired, partly in consistent with the damages of ionocytes. The adverse impacts of PS-MPs on Cl- regulation and ammonia excretion were size-dependent, with significant disturbances observed in 4 μm and 20 μm treated group for Cl- regulation, but only in 20 μm treated group for ammonia excretion. The specific enrichment of Shinella and lower abundance of function profiles related to ion transport and metabolism might be responsible for the specific disturbance of Cl- regulation found in the 4 μm treated group. The enrichment of Gemmobacter also accounted for the disturbances of ammonia excretion in 20 μm treated group. Our results highlighted the impacts of PS-MPs on the physiological functions in fish gills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siwen Zheng
- School of Energy and Environment and State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China; Research Centre for the Oceans and Human Health, City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518057, China
| | - Wen-Xiong Wang
- School of Energy and Environment and State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China; Research Centre for the Oceans and Human Health, City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518057, China.
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Sadauskas-Henrique H, Smith DS, Val AL, Wood CM. Physicochemical properties of the dissolved organic carbon can lead to different physiological responses of zebrafish (Danio rerio) under neutral and acidic conditions. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART 2021; 335:864-878. [PMID: 34435751 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Revised: 07/28/2021] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies have suggested that the capacity of natural dissolved organic carbon (DOC) molecules to interact with biological membranes is associated with their aromaticity (SAC340 ); origin (allochthonous versus autochthonous, FI); molecular weight (Abs254/365 ); and relative fluorescence of DOC moieties (PARAFAC analysis). These interactions may be especially important when fish are challenged by acidic waters, which are known to inhibit the active uptake of Na+ and Cl- , while stimulating diffusive ion losses in freshwater fishes. Therefore, zebrafish were acclimated (7 days, pH 7.0) to five natural DOC sources (10 mg C/L), two from the Amazon Basin and three from Canada, together with a "no-added DOC" control. After the acclimation, fish were challenged by exposure to acidic water (pH 4.0) for 3 h. Osmoregulatory parameters were measured at pH 7.0 and 4.0. Acclimation to the five DOC sources did not disturb Na+ , Cl- and ammonia net fluxes, but resulted in differential elevations in Na+ , K+ ATPase and v-type H+ ATPase activities in fish at pH 7.0. However, after transfer to pH.4.0, the control fish exhibited rapid increases in both enzymes. In contrast the DOC- acclimated animals exhibited unchanged (Na+ , K+ ATPase) or differentially increased (v-type H+ ATPase) activities. Na+ , Cl- and ammonia net fluxes remained unchanged in the control fish, but were differentially elevated in most of the DOC treatments at pH 4.0, relative to the same DOC treatments at pH 7.0. Correlations between the osmoregulatory data the DOCs properties highlight that the DOC properties drive different effects on gill physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen Sadauskas-Henrique
- Laboratory of Ecophysiology and Molecular Evolution, Brazilian National Institute for Research of the Amazon, Manaus, AM, Brazil.,Universidade Santa Cecília (Unisanta), Santos, SP, Brazil
| | - D Scott Smith
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - Adalberto L Val
- Laboratory of Ecophysiology and Molecular Evolution, Brazilian National Institute for Research of the Amazon, Manaus, AM, Brazil
| | - Chris M Wood
- Laboratory of Ecophysiology and Molecular Evolution, Brazilian National Institute for Research of the Amazon, Manaus, AM, Brazil.,Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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Perry SF, Gilmour KM, Duarte RM, Wood CM, Almeida-Val VMF, Val AL. The effects of dissolved organic carbon on the reflex ventilatory responses of the neotropical teleost (Colossoma macropomum) to hypoxia or hypercapnia. CHEMOSPHERE 2021; 277:130314. [PMID: 34384180 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.130314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2020] [Revised: 03/10/2021] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum), migrates annually between whitewater and blackwater rivers of the Amazon. Unlike the whitewater, blackwater is characterized by higher levels of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), including humic acids (HA). Because humic substances impair sensory processes, the current study tested the hypothesis that O2 and/or CO2 chemoreception is impeded in blackwater owing to the presence of HA. Thus, the ventilatory responses of tambaqui to hypoxia or hypercapnia were assessed in well water transported from Manaus, local blackwater, and in well water containing HA either extracted from Rio Negro water or obtained commercially (Sigma Aldrich; SA). In well water, tambaqui exhibited typical hyperventilatory responses to hypoxia or hypercapnia. These responses were prevented by simultaneously exposing fish to SA HA (20 mg l-1). The negative effects of SA HA on ventilation were prevented when natural DOC (30 mg l-1; extracted from Rio Negro water after first removing the endogenous HA fraction) was added concurrently, indicating a protective effect of this non-humic acid DOC fraction. The hyperventilatory responses were unaffected during acute exposure or after acclimation of fish to Rio Negro water. HA extracted from Rio Negro water did not impair the hyperventilatory responses to hypoxia or hypercapnia. This study, while demonstrating a negative effect of SA HA derived from peat (coal) on the control of breathing in tambaqui, failed to reveal any detrimental consequences of HA (derived from the decomposition of a variety of lignin-rich plants) naturally occurring in the blackwaters of the Rio Negro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steve F Perry
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, 30 Marie Curie Drive, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada.
| | - Kathleen M Gilmour
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, 30 Marie Curie Drive, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Rafael M Duarte
- Laboratory of Ecophysiology and Molecular Evolution, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA), Manaus, Brazil; Biosciences Institute, São Paulo State University - UNESP, Coastal Campus, São Vicente, SP, Brazil
| | - Chris M Wood
- Laboratory of Ecophysiology and Molecular Evolution, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA), Manaus, Brazil; Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada; Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Vera M F Almeida-Val
- Laboratory of Ecophysiology and Molecular Evolution, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA), Manaus, Brazil
| | - Adalberto L Val
- Laboratory of Ecophysiology and Molecular Evolution, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA), Manaus, Brazil
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Morris C, Val AL, Brauner CJ, Wood CM. The physiology of fish in acidic waters rich in dissolved organic carbon, with specific reference to the Amazon basin: Ionoregulation, acid-base regulation, ammonia excretion, and metal toxicity. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART 2021; 335:843-863. [PMID: 33970558 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Revised: 03/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Although blackwaters, named for their rich content of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), are often very poor in ions and very acidic, they support great fish biodiversity. Indeed, about 8% of all freshwater fish species live in the blackwaters of the Rio Negro watershed in the Amazon basin. We review how native fish survive these harsh conditions that would kill most freshwater fish, with a particular focus on the role of DOC, a water quality parameter that has been relatively understudied. DOC, which is functionally defined by its ability to pass through a 0.45-µm filter, comprises a diverse range of compounds formed by the breakdown of organic matter and is quantified by its carbon component that is approximately 50% by mass. Adaptations of fish to acidic blackwaters include minimal acid-base disturbances associated with a unique, largely unknown, high-affinity Na+ uptake system that is resistant to inhibition by low pH in members of the Characiformes, and very tight regulation of Na+ efflux at low pH in the Cichliformes. Allochthonous (terrigenous) DOC, which predominates in blackwaters, consists of larger, more highly colored, reactive molecules than autochthonous DOC. The dissociation of protons from allochthonous components such as humic and fulvic acids is largely responsible for the acidity of these blackwaters, yet at the same time, these components may help protect organisms against the damaging effects of low water pH. DOC lowers the transepithelial potential (TEP), mitigates the inhibition of Na+ uptake and ammonia excretion, and protects against the elevation of diffusive Na+ loss in fish exposed to acidic waters. It also reduces the gill binding and toxicity of metals. At least in part, these actions reflect direct biological effects of DOC on the gills that are beneficial to ionoregulation. After chronic exposure to DOC, some of these protective effects persist even in the absence of DOC. Two characteristics of allochthonous DOC, the specific absorbance coefficient at 340 nm (determined optically) and the PBI (determined by titration), are indicative of both the biological effectiveness of DOC and the ability to protect against metal toxicity. Future research needs are highlighted, including a greater mechanistic understanding of the actions of DOCs on gill ionoregulatory function, morphology, TEP, and metal toxicity. These should be investigated in a wider range of native fish Orders that inhabit one of the world's greatest biodiversity hotspots for freshwater fishes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolyn Morris
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Adalberto L Val
- Laboratory of Ecophysiology and Molecular Evolution, Brazilian National Institute for Research of the Amazon, Manaus, Brazil
| | - Colin J Brauner
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Chris M Wood
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.,Laboratory of Ecophysiology and Molecular Evolution, Brazilian National Institute for Research of the Amazon, Manaus, Brazil
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Ruiz-Jarabo I, Amanajás R, Baldisserotto B, Mancera J, Val A. Tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum) acclimated to different tropical waters from the Amazon basin shows specific acute-stress responses. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2020; 245:110706. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2020.110706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2020] [Revised: 04/14/2020] [Accepted: 04/14/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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