Table 2.
Overview of in vivo studies of the effects of nano- and microplastic exposure on the gut microbiota (metagenomic analyses). *This has been calculated by the authors based on Bachmanov AA et al. Behav Genet 2002 [73]
| Reference | Nano-micro plastics |
Dosage | Duration of exposure | Route of exposure | Species | Effects on bacterial diversity | Effects on bacterial phyla composition | Effects on bacterial genera composition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Invertebrates | ||||||||
|
Zhu et al., Soil Biology and Biochemistry 2018 [97] |
Polyvinyl chloride particles 80 to 250 μm | 1 μg/kg dry soil | 56 days | Soil | Springtail (Folsomia candida) | Alpha diversity ↑ (p < 0.01) |
↓ Bacteroidetes ↑ Firmicutes |
(Family level: ↑ Bacillaceae) |
|
Ju et al., Environ. Pollut. 2019 [98] |
Polyethylene < 500 μm | 0.5% dry weight in soil | 28 days | Soil | Springtail, (Folsomia candida) |
Chao1 diversity index ↓ Phylogenetic diversity whole-tree index↓ |
No data |
↓Wolbachia ↑Bradyrhizobiaceae, Ensifer and Stenotrophomonas |
|
Liu et al., Sci.Total Environ. 2019 [99] |
Polystyrene 5 μm |
40 mg/L |
21 days | Tank water |
Crab (Eriocheir sinensis) |
Shannon diversity index: ↓ |
↑ Cyanobacteria, Chloroflexi, Fusobacteria and Proteobacteria ↓ Nitrospirae, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes |
25 significantly different |
| Vertebrates | ||||||||
|
Huang et al., Sc Total Environ. 2020 [80] |
Polystyrene; 32–40 μm |
100 and 1000 μg/L | 28 days | Tank water | Juvenile guppy (Poecilia reticulata) |
Shannon diversity index: ↓ Simpson diversity index↑ |
↑ Proteobacteria ↓ Actinobacteria |
↑ Gemmobacter and Rhodobacter |
|
Wan et al., Chemosphere 2019 [100] |
Polystyrene 5 and 50 μm |
1000 μg/L | 7 days | Tank water |
Larval zebrafish (Danio rerio) |
Chao1 diversity index: ↓ (5 μm) | No significant variation |
5 μm: ↓Sphaerotilus, Haliangium and Leptothrix ↑Methyloversatilis, Polynucleobacter, Legionella and Ottowia 50 μm: ↓ Pseudomonas ↑ Flectobacillus and Methylophilus 5 and 50 μm: ↓ Methylobacterium |
|
Gu et al., J. Hazard. Mater. 2020 [82] |
Polystyrene 100 nm |
5.5 × 10− 12 mg/L | 14 days | Tank water |
Large yellow Croaker (Larimichthys croceus) |
Chao1 diversity index ↓ No variation of Shannon diversity index |
↑ Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes ↓ Proteobacteria |
↑ Lactobacillus, Parabacteroides, Alistipes |
|
Kang et al. J Hazard. Mater. 2020 [83] |
Polystyrene 50 nm (NP) and 45 μm (MP) |
2.5 μg/mL | 14 days | Artificial sea water | Medaka (Oryzias. melastigma) | Alpha diversity ↑ (MP only) | ↓ Bacteroidetes (NP and MP), |
NP and MP: ↓ Vicingus, Shewanella ↑ Lewinella, Pseudomonas, Thalassospira, Parahaliea. |
|
Jin et al., Environ. Pollut. 2018 [84] |
Polystyrene 0,5 and 50 μm |
1000 mg/L | 14 days | Tank water |
Zebrafish (Danio rerio) |
Shannon diversity index: ↑ |
↑ Firmicutes, ↓ γ-Proteobacteria |
29 significantly different |
|
Qiao, Sheng, et al., Sci.Total Environ. 2019 [85] |
Polystyrene 5 μm |
50–500 μg/L | 21 days | Tank water |
Zebrafish (Danio rerio) |
Shannon diversity index: ↓ 17–29% in the 50 and 500 μg/L MP groups respectively (p < 0.05) |
↑ Fusobacteria ↓ Proteobacteria |
(Family level: ↑ 12 ↓ 13) |
|
Qiao, Deng, et al., Chemosphere. 2019 [59] |
Polystyrene fibre 20-100 μm |
10 μg/L | 21 days | Tank water |
Zebrafish (Danio rerio) |
Abundance coverage-based estimator: ↑ 107.5% in the fibre-MP group (p < 0.05) Simpson’s diversity index: ↓ 45.7% in the fibre-MP group (p < 0.05) |
↑ Proteobacteria, ↓ Actinobacteria, |
↑ Gordonia ↓ Aeromonas, Pseudomonas |
|
Jin et al., Sci.Total Environ. 2019 [60] |
Polystyrene 5 μm |
1000 μg/L ~ 266 μg/kg bw/day* |
6 weeks | Drinking water |
ICR Mice (Mus musculus) |
Phylogenetic diversity whole-tree index ↓ |
↓ α−Proteobactria γ-Proteobacteria |
↓ Parabacteroides, Prevotella, Dehalobacterium, Turicibacter, Bifidobacterium, Phascolarctobacterium, Lachnospira, Haemophilus, Adlercreutzia, Megamonas, Blautia, Dialister and Veillonella ↑ Coprococcus and Anaeroplasma |
|
Lu et al., Sci.Total Environ. 2018 [91] |
Polystyrene 0.5 and 50 μm |
1000 μg/L ~ 266 μg/kg bw/day* |
5 weeks | Drinking water |
ICR Mice (Mus musculus) |
No data |
↓ Firmicutes, α-Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria |
↓ Oscillospira and Anaerostipes ↑ Parabacteroides, Prevotella, Dehalobacterium, Ruminococcus, Bilophila, Bifidobacterium, Adlercreutzia, Plesiomona, Halomonas and Acinetobacter (after both 0.5 and 50 μm polystyrene MP exposure) |
|
Luo et al., Environ. Sci. Technol 2019 [101] |
Pristine polystyrene microspheres 5 μm |
1000 μg/L ~ 266 μg/kg bw/day* |
Gestation and lactation 6 weeks (analysis of dams) |
Drinking water |
ICR Mice (Mus musculus) |
Shannon diversity index: no significant variation |
No significant variation of Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, Firmicutes ↑ Actinobacteria ↑ Epsilonbacteraeota |
14 significantly different |
|
Li et al., Chemosphere. 2020 [93] |
Polyethylene 10–150 μm |
2–20-200 μg/g feed ~ 0.0004, 0.004 and 0.04 μg/kg bw/day* |
5 weeks | Feed |
C57BL/6 Mice (Mus musculus) |
Shannon diversity index: ↑ in the 200 μg/g MP (p < 0.05) |
↑ Firmicutes (20–200 μg/g), ↑Melainabacteria (3 dosages) ↓ Bacteroidetes (20–200) |
↑ Staphylococcus ↓ Parabacteroides (3 dosages) |
|
Deng et al., Environment International 2020 [94] |
Polyethylene 45–53 μm |
100 mg/kg/day 5.25 104 particles/day |
30 days | Gavage |
CD-1 mice (Mus musculus) |
Shannon diversity index: no significant variation | ↑ Actinobacteria |
↑ Lactobacillus ↑ Adlercreutzia ↑ Butyricimonas ↑ Parabacteroides |