Tracking the bioaccumulation, the metabolization and synergy between Nanoplastics and Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the food web

跟踪食物网中纳米塑料与全氟烷基物质和多氟烷基物质 (PFAS) 之间的生物累积、代谢和协同作用

• 批准号: 2891548
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Surrey
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2023 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-2891548
• 关键词: Tracking; bioaccumulation; metabolization; synergy; between

Investigations on the effects of nanoplastics (NP) on aquatic organisms used concentrations between 2 to 7 order-of-magnitudes higher than those predicted in the open ocean. This divided the community between those sounding the alarm due to the observed toxicological effects, and those predicting that NP concentrations in the environment are far below any threshold-effect. Fit-to-purpose experimental designs have been hindered by a lack of appropriate NP models, tracking methods, and monitoring strategies for environmentally realistic concentrations.Using 14C-labelled-NP and conventional nuclear techniques, we recently modelled potential accumulation of NPs in scallops, chronically exposed (Fig 1) to 15 ug/L NP. Astonishingly, this suggests that NP might already be beyond threshold-effects in organisms and harming the marine biota.Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), a large class of persistent chemicals and known to be an additive of plastics products, are widespread through consumer products and present in various environmental bodies. A small number of PFASs have been shown to bioaccumulate and/or toxic to different taxa, with PFOS and PFOA listed under the Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants. However, the transport and and toxicological mechanism still unclear and the potential vectorisation by NPs misunderstood.The combination of NPs and PFASs could potentially lead to higher health risks in humans and animals. Therefore, the three relevant questions i-iii are relevant for the mixture of NPs/PFASs.Despite the significance of the topic, relevant questions remain unanswered; specifically:i) Are NPs accumulating through a chronic exposure at sub-ppb levels and reach high tissue concentrations?ii) Can we track and quantify sub-ppb concentration of NP in tissues? iii) Do NP accumulate in the food web over time at sub-ppb levels?iv) Does NP and PFASs have a synergy effect on the biota?We propose an innovative approach that will overcome the analytical limitations of tracking and quantifying the transformation of NPs and their co-contaminants (PFASs) at sub-ppb concentrations. By combining 14C-labelling with the ultimate sensitivity and analytical power of the Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS), this new approach will answer whether NP and PFASs are accumulating and transforming in the food chain? The labelling of 14C-nanoploystyrene was pioneered by the PI. This approach is however currently only available for polystyrene polymers and concentration 10 ug/L. Further innovations are necessary to label NPs composed of the most produced plastic worldwide, i.e., polyethylene (32%) and polypropylene (23%), which may have different toxicokinetic and tissue distribution due to their different physico-chemical properties. Only the higher sensitivity of AMS measurements will enable work at sub-ppb levels by using 14C-labelled NPs. The AMS technique generally used for detection and datation of 14C in geological samples. Here, it will be applied for the first time to ecotoxicological issues by measuring 14C-labelled contaminants (i.e., NPs). 14C micro-dose AMS measurements performed in pharmaceuticals studies, using elemental analyser (EA) combustion and double-trap interface, look promising for measuring 14C-labelled NPs at sub-ppb levels. However, sample preparation for AMS is indeed a central challenge, even for geological samples. Each application must develop their own preparation method, which should: 1) uses carbon-free chemicals; 2) avoid degradation of material into CO2 prior AMS analysis; 3) avoid carbon isotope fractionation; 4) avoid cross-contamination, and 5) enable a high throughput analysis for ecotoxicological application.

对纳米塑料（NP）对水生生物的影响的研究使用的浓度在2至7个磁盘之间的浓度高于公海中预测的浓度。这将由于观察到的毒理学作用而导致警报的人之间的社区分配，以及那些预测环境中NP浓度的人远低于任何阈值效应。缺乏适当的NP模型，跟踪方法和监测环境逼真的浓度的策略来阻碍合适的实验设计。使用14C标记的NP和常规核技术，我们最近对NP在扇贝中的潜在积累进行了建模，该扇贝的潜在累积（图1）至15 ug/lp。令人惊讶的是，这表明NP可能已经超出了生物体的阈值效应，并损害了海洋生物群体。全氟烷基和多氟烷基物质（PFASS）（PFASS），这是一种持久化学物质，这是一种大量的塑料，并且是塑料产品的添加剂，可以通过消费者和各种环境中的外观来广泛。已经显示出少量的PFAS对不同的分类单元进行生物蓄积和/或有毒，其中PFO和PFOA在《斯德哥尔摩持续性有机污染物公约》下列出了。但是，运输和毒理机制仍然不清楚，NPS误解了NPS的潜在矢量化。NPS和PFASS的结合可能会导致人类和动物的健康风险更高。因此，I-III的三个相关问题与NPS/PFASS的混合物有关。尽管有主题的重要性，但相关问题仍未得到解决；具体来说：i）NP是否通过在子PPB水平下的慢性暴露来积累并达到高组织浓度吗？ii）我们可以跟踪和量化组织中NP的子-PPB浓度吗？ iii）随着时间的推移，NP会在子-PPB水平上积聚在食物网中吗？通过将14C标记与加速器质谱法（AMS）的最终灵敏度和分析能力相结合，这种新方法将回答NP和PFASS是否在食物链中积累和转化？ PI率先将14C-纳米叶叶的标签率先。但是，目前仅适用于聚苯乙烯聚合物，浓度为10 ug/l。对于由全球生产最多的塑料组成的NP，即聚乙烯（32％）和聚丙烯（23％）所需的进一步创新是必要的，这些NP由于其不同的物理学特性而可能具有不同的毒性动力学和组织分布。仅使用14C标记的NP，只有AM测量的较高灵敏度才能在子PPB水平上进行工作。 AMS技术通常用于地质样品中14C的检测和构成。在这里，它将首次通过测量14C标记的污染物（即NP）来应用于生态毒理学问题。使用元素分析仪（EA）燃烧和双重陷阱界面在药品研究中进行的14C微剂量AMS测量值，可在亚普布水平下测量14C标记的NPS看起来很有希望。但是，即使对于地质样本，AMS的样本制备也确实是一个核心挑战。每个应用程序必须开发自己的制备方法，该方法应：1）使用无碳化学品； 2）避免将材料降解为二氧化碳先验分析； 3）避免碳同位素分馏； 4）避免交叉污染，5）对生态毒理学应用进行高吞吐量分析。