Nanoplastics – Gene Functions Measured in Daphnia neonates, for Oxidative Stress, Immune Defense, and Glycometabolism

According to a report published August 25, 2020 in the Journal of Hazardous Materials by researchers with East China Normal University, Shanghai, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN and others https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0304389420317672#! “…mechanistic nanoplastic toxicity is largely unknown. Here, global transcriptome sequencing (RNA-Seq) was performed on D. pulex neonates to quantitatively measure the expression level of transcripts. A total of 208 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were detected in response to nanoplastic exposure for 96 h, with 107 being up-regulated and 101 down-regulated. The gene functions and pathways for oxidative stress, immune defense, and glycometabolism were identified. In this study, D. pulex neonates provide some molecular insights into nanoplastic toxicity. However, more studies on DEGs are needed to better understand the underlying mechanisms that result as a response to nanoplastic toxicity in aquatic organisms …” #PlasticWaste #MicroPlastic #NanoPlastic