Investigating Polystyrene Nano-Plastic Effects on Largemouth Bass (<i>Micropterus salmoides</i>) Focusing on mRNA Expression: Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and Lipid Metabolism Dynamics
Kaipeng Zhang,
Jing Chen,
Yamin Wang,
Mingshi Chen,
Xiaoxue Bao,
Xiaotong Chen,
Shan Xie,
Zhenye Lin,
Yingying Yu
Affiliations
Kaipeng Zhang
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Molecular Design and Precise Breeding, School of Life Science and Engineering, Foshan University, Foshan 528225, China
Jing Chen
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Molecular Design and Precise Breeding, School of Life Science and Engineering, Foshan University, Foshan 528225, China
Yamin Wang
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Molecular Design and Precise Breeding, School of Life Science and Engineering, Foshan University, Foshan 528225, China
Mingshi Chen
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Molecular Design and Precise Breeding, School of Life Science and Engineering, Foshan University, Foshan 528225, China
Xiaoxue Bao
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Molecular Design and Precise Breeding, School of Life Science and Engineering, Foshan University, Foshan 528225, China
Xiaotong Chen
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Molecular Design and Precise Breeding, School of Life Science and Engineering, Foshan University, Foshan 528225, China
Shan Xie
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Molecular Design and Precise Breeding, School of Life Science and Engineering, Foshan University, Foshan 528225, China
Zhenye Lin
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Molecular Design and Precise Breeding, School of Life Science and Engineering, Foshan University, Foshan 528225, China
Yingying Yu
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Molecular Design and Precise Breeding, School of Life Science and Engineering, Foshan University, Foshan 528225, China
Nano-plastics (NPs) have emerged as a pervasive global contaminant, posing significant threats to carnivorous fish, in recent years. The accumulation of polystyrene nano-plastics (PS-NPs) can cause endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. However, the concurrent impacts of PS-NPs on lipid metabolism and ER stress in largemouth bass have not been sufficiently investigated. To study this gap, we established a largemouth bass model exposed to PS-NPs in a culture environment. The exposure experiment focused on 100 μg/L PS-NPs (100 nm). Transcriptomics analysis revealed a significant enrichment of differentially expressed genes involved in a lipid metabolism pathway and ER process. The levels of biochemical parameters associated with lipid metabolism, including high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, total cholesterol, triglyceride, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, demonstrated that exposure to PS-NPs for nineteen days had an impact on lipid metabolism. Additionally, the expression levels of genes associated with fatty acid biosynthesis and ER stress exhibited a significant increase following exposure to PS-NPs for nineteen days, whereas these changes were not significant after a seven-day exposure period. The ER stress induced by PS-NPs exhibited a positive correlation with lipid metabolism disorder and the magnitude of damage caused by prolonged exposure to PS-NPs in largemouth bass. The present study provides novel insights into the health threats encountered by largemouth bass when exposed to NPs.
