First evidence of molecular response of the shrimp Hippolyte inermis to biodegradable microplastics

Amalia Amato; Roberta Esposito; Bruno Pinto; Thomas Viel; Francesca Glaviano; Mariacristina Cocca; Loredana Manfra; Giovanni Libralato; Eliahu D Aflalo; Amir Sagi; Maria Costantini; Valerio Zupo

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.137069

First evidence of molecular response of the shrimp Hippolyte inermis to biodegradable microplastics

J Hazard Mater. 2024 Dec 31:487:137069. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.137069. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Department of Ecosustainable Marine Biotechnology, Via Ammiraglio Ferdinando Acton 55, Naples 80133, Italy; Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, Via Cinthia 21, Naples 80126, Italy; Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Department of Ecosustainable Marine Biotechnology, Ischia Marine Centre, Via Francesco Buonocore, 42, Ischia 80077, Italy.
² Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Department of Ecosustainable Marine Biotechnology, Via Ammiraglio Ferdinando Acton 55, Naples 80133, Italy.
³ Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Department of Ecosustainable Marine Biotechnology, Via Ammiraglio Ferdinando Acton 55, Naples 80133, Italy; Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Department of Ecosustainable Marine Biotechnology, Ischia Marine Centre, Via Francesco Buonocore, 42, Ischia 80077, Italy.
⁴ Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Department of Ecosustainable Marine Biotechnology, Ischia Marine Centre, Via Francesco Buonocore, 42, Ischia 80077, Italy.
⁵ Institute of Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials, National Research Council of Italy, Via Campi Flegrei, 34, Pozzuoli, Napoli 80078, Italy.
⁶ Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Department of Ecosustainable Marine Biotechnology, Via Ammiraglio Ferdinando Acton 55, Naples 80133, Italy; Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), Via Vitaliano Brancati 48, Rome 00144, Italy.
⁷ Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Department of Ecosustainable Marine Biotechnology, Via Ammiraglio Ferdinando Acton 55, Naples 80133, Italy; Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, Via Cinthia 21, Naples 80126, Italy.
⁸ Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel; Department of Life Sciences, Achva Academic College, Arugot 7980400, Israel.
⁹ Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel.
¹⁰ Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Department of Ecosustainable Marine Biotechnology, Via Ammiraglio Ferdinando Acton 55, Naples 80133, Italy. Electronic address: maria.costantini@szn.it.

PMID: 39798304
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.137069

Abstract

The increasing demand for sustainable alternatives to conventional plastics has propelled the interest in bioplastics. A few papers reported on the effects of plastics on crustaceans, but no indication about biodegradable polymers is available. Hippolyte inermis Leach, 1816 is a protandric shrimp commonly living on leaves of the seagrass Posidonia oceanica, in the Mediterranean Sea. This crustacean is typically chosen as a model to study sex differentiation processes. Here, we demonstrated its convenience as a model organism to study the effects of biodegradable polymers (BPs). Five BPs were studied: polybutylene succinate (PBS), polybutylene succinate-co-butylene adipate (PBSA), polycaprolactone (PCL), poly-3-hydroxybutyrates (PHB) and polylactic acid (PLA). Larvae of H. inermis were exposed to three concentrations of each BP (1, 5 and 10 mg/L, respectively) for ten days. After exposure, the expression levels of eighteen genes involved in stress response and detoxification processes, retrieved from a H. inermis transcriptomic library, were validated by Real Time qPCR. This study is the first using a molecular approach to detect H. inermis responses to contaminants and in particular to biodegradable polymers, through the evaluation of functional gene's pathways.

Keywords: Biodegradable polymers; Crustaceans; Gene pathaways; Genes; Plastics.