Nanoplastics exacerbate cadmium toxicity in Mytilus coruscus through bioenergetic exhaustion and tissue disintegration.

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Auteurs principaux: Mei, Wenlong, Hu, Menghong, Sharifinia, Moslem, Maszczyk, Piotr, Singh, Nisha, Khor, Waiho, Fazhan, Hanafiah, Liu, Wei, Lee, Jae-Seong, Bock, Christian, Fang, James Kar-Hei, Wang, Youji
Format: Artículo científico
Langue:en
Publié: Marine pollution bulletin 2026
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author Mei, Wenlong
Hu, Menghong
Sharifinia, Moslem
Maszczyk, Piotr
Singh, Nisha
Khor, Waiho
Fazhan, Hanafiah
Liu, Wei
Lee, Jae-Seong
Bock, Christian
Fang, James Kar-Hei
Wang, Youji
author_facet Mei, Wenlong
Hu, Menghong
Sharifinia, Moslem
Maszczyk, Piotr
Singh, Nisha
Khor, Waiho
Fazhan, Hanafiah
Liu, Wei
Lee, Jae-Seong
Bock, Christian
Fang, James Kar-Hei
Wang, Youji
Mei, Wenlong
Hu, Menghong
Sharifinia, Moslem
Maszczyk, Piotr
Singh, Nisha
Khor, Waiho
Fazhan, Hanafiah
Liu, Wei
Lee, Jae-Seong
Bock, Christian
Fang, James Kar-Hei
Wang, Youji
collection PubMed - marine biology
contents Nanoplastics exacerbate cadmium toxicity in Mytilus coruscus through bioenergetic exhaustion and tissue disintegration. Mei, Wenlong Hu, Menghong Sharifinia, Moslem Maszczyk, Piotr Singh, Nisha Khor, Waiho Fazhan, Hanafiah Liu, Wei Lee, Jae-Seong Bock, Christian Fang, James Kar-Hei Wang, Youji Animals Mytilus Cadmium Water Pollutants, Chemical Microplastics Energy Metabolism The combined pollution of nanoplastics (NPs) and heavy metals poses an emerging threat to marine ecosystems, yet the bioenergetic mechanisms underlying their synergistic toxicity remain poorly understood. Herein, we investigated the synergistic lethal effects of polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NPs) and cadmium (Cd) on the thick-shelled mussel, Mytilus coruscus. Our results indicated that PS-NPs exacerbated Cd accumulation via the "Trojan Horse" effect, leading to the collapse of antioxidant defenses. Crucially, histopathological analysis revealed a distinct pathological transition ranging from defensive epithelial hyperplasia observed in single-stressor exposures to severe necrotic desquamation and massive hemocytic infiltration in the combined exposure group, indicative of disintegration of the physical gill barrier. Mechanistically, this tissue collapse appeared to be driven by a severe energy supply-demand mismatch, characterized by the transcriptional suppression of the key gluconeogenic gene PEPCK and the failure to sustain compensatory ATP production. This relative energy deficit likely compromised ATP-dependent HSP-70 repair processes and the regulation of ordered apoptosis pathways, thereby shifting the mode of cell death toward uncontrolled necrosis and triggering a pronounced inflammatory response. This study proposes "bioenergetic uncoupling" as a critical mechanism underlying the shift from defense failure to tissue necrosis, providing novel mechanistic insights into the environmental risks of combined plastic pollution.
format Artículo científico
id pubmed_41905082
institution PubMed
language en
publishDate 2026
publisher Marine pollution bulletin
record_format pubmed
spellingShingle Nanoplastics exacerbate cadmium toxicity in Mytilus coruscus through bioenergetic exhaustion and tissue disintegration.
Mei, Wenlong
Hu, Menghong
Sharifinia, Moslem
Maszczyk, Piotr
Singh, Nisha
Khor, Waiho
Fazhan, Hanafiah
Liu, Wei
Lee, Jae-Seong
Bock, Christian
Fang, James Kar-Hei
Wang, Youji
Animals
Mytilus
Cadmium
Water Pollutants, Chemical
Microplastics
Energy Metabolism
Nanoplastics exacerbate cadmium toxicity in Mytilus coruscus through bioenergetic exhaustion and tissue disintegration. Mei, Wenlong Hu, Menghong Sharifinia, Moslem Maszczyk, Piotr Singh, Nisha Khor, Waiho Fazhan, Hanafiah Liu, Wei Lee, Jae-Seong Bock, Christian Fang, James Kar-Hei Wang, Youji Animals Mytilus Cadmium Water Pollutants, Chemical Microplastics Energy Metabolism The combined pollution of nanoplastics (NPs) and heavy metals poses an emerging threat to marine ecosystems, yet the bioenergetic mechanisms underlying their synergistic toxicity remain poorly understood. Herein, we investigated the synergistic lethal effects of polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NPs) and cadmium (Cd) on the thick-shelled mussel, Mytilus coruscus. Our results indicated that PS-NPs exacerbated Cd accumulation via the "Trojan Horse" effect, leading to the collapse of antioxidant defenses. Crucially, histopathological analysis revealed a distinct pathological transition ranging from defensive epithelial hyperplasia observed in single-stressor exposures to severe necrotic desquamation and massive hemocytic infiltration in the combined exposure group, indicative of disintegration of the physical gill barrier. Mechanistically, this tissue collapse appeared to be driven by a severe energy supply-demand mismatch, characterized by the transcriptional suppression of the key gluconeogenic gene PEPCK and the failure to sustain compensatory ATP production. This relative energy deficit likely compromised ATP-dependent HSP-70 repair processes and the regulation of ordered apoptosis pathways, thereby shifting the mode of cell death toward uncontrolled necrosis and triggering a pronounced inflammatory response. This study proposes "bioenergetic uncoupling" as a critical mechanism underlying the shift from defense failure to tissue necrosis, providing novel mechanistic insights into the environmental risks of combined plastic pollution.
title Nanoplastics exacerbate cadmium toxicity in Mytilus coruscus through bioenergetic exhaustion and tissue disintegration.
topic Animals
Mytilus
Cadmium
Water Pollutants, Chemical
Microplastics
Energy Metabolism
url https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41905082/