Risks to Aquatic Biota and Human Health Associated with the Ingestion of Microplastics in Seafood.

• Grant number: 24/16598-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: June 01, 2025
• End date: September 30, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Oceanography - Biological Oceanography
• Principal Investigator: Denis Moledo de Souza Abessa
• Grantee: Giam Luca Altafim
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB-CLP). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus Experimental do Litoral Paulista. São Vicente , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The escalating plastic waste in the environment stems from our daily consumption of a wide variety of manufactured goods. Inadequate disposal and inefficient waste management policies have exacerbated marine plastic pollution. Microplastics are tiny particles (<5 mm) originated from plastic fragmentation and can be readily ingested by organisms at lower trophic levels, posing a significant threat of bioaccumulation. Fish consumption can indirectly expose humans to microplastics present in their edible parts, potentially jeopardizing human health. In order to assess the potential risk of microplastic ingestion from fisheries consumption, bioaccumulation analyses will be carried out in the edible parts of economic importance species in Baixada Santista, Cananéia and Ubatuba. Microplastic detection and quantification will be performed in selected species, including the parati fish (Mugil curema), seabass fish (Centropomus undecimallis), seven-bearded shrimp (Xiphopenaeus kroyeri), and sururu mussel (Mytella strigata) and human health risk associated with microplastic ingestion will be calculated based on the bioaccumulation data. Laboratory experiments with mussels and seven-bearded shrimp will assess microplastic uptake rates, quantify contaminant ingestion, and measure microplastic-induced oxidative stress using established biochemical biomarkers: glutathione S-transferase (GST), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), reduced glutathione (GSH), lipid peroxidation (LPO), acetylcholinesterase (AChE), and DNA damage via alkaline precipitation.