Kinetics and toxicity of atypical microplastics in the manila clam Ruditapes philippinarum: A quantitative analysis of accumulation and excretion

Abstract

Recently, microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous environmental pollutants, and many organisms are indiscriminately exposed to microplastics across different environments. We evaluated the patterns of accumulation and excretion of MPs of various sizes in the Manila clam Ruditapes philippinarum. Additionally, oxidative stress and inflammation-related responses of the clams exposed to MPs were analyzed. Significant differences in the accumulation and excretion of MPs were observed with the size variation of MPs and these differences impacted the filtration efficiency of clams. This suggests that the function of clams as a filter feeder may be compromised after MP exposure. MPs also induced oxidative stress and inflammatory responses after exposure. These results suggest that the kinetics of MPs in organisms may be variable related to the particle size and these MPs can influence the filtration efficiencies and the physical conditions of bivalves in marine ecosystems.