Abstract
Copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) and microplastics (MPs) are two emerging contaminants of freshwater systems. Despite their co-occurrence in many water bodies, the combined effects of CuNPs and MPs on aquatic organisms are not well-investigated. In this study, primary cultures of rainbow trout hepatocytes were exposed to dissolved Cu, CuNPs, MPs, or a combination of MPs and CuNPs for 48 h, and the transcript abundances of oxidative stress-related genes were investigated. Exposure to CuNPs or dissolved Cu resulted in a significant increase in the transcript abundances of two antioxidant enzymes, catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). Exposure to CuNPs also led to an upregulation in the expression of Na+/K+ ATPase alpha 1 subunit (ATP1A1). Microplastics alone or in combination with CuNPs did not have a significant effect on abundances of the target gene transcripts. Overall, our findings suggested acute exposure to CuNPs or dissolved ions may induce oxidative stress in hepatocytes, and the Cu-induced effect on target gene transcripts was not associated with MPs.
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Acknowledgements
Gregory G. Pyle was supported by a grant from the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC, Grant #: RGPIN-2015-04492). Steve Wiseman was supported by a Tier II Canada Research Chair in Aquatic and Mechanistic Toxicology, the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (Project #35224), the Research Capacity program of the Government of Alberta, and a NSERC grant (Grant #: RGPIN 2017–04474). Jon A. Doering received support from a NSERC postdoctoral fellowship (PDF-546121-2020).
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Razmara, P., Zink, L., Doering, J.A. et al. The Combined Effect of Copper Nanoparticles and Microplastics on Transcripts Involved in Oxidative Stress Pathway in Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss) Hepatocytes. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 111, 47 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-023-03811-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-023-03811-8