Metabolic profiles and protein expression responses of Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) to polystyrene microplastic stress

The underlying toxicity mechanisms of microplastics on oysters have rarely been explored. To fill this gap, the present study investigated the metabolic profile and protein expression responses of oysters to microplastic stress through metabolomics and biochemical analyses. Oysters were exposed to microplastics for 21 days, and the results indicated that the microplastics induced oxidative stress, with a significant decrease in SOD activity in the 0.1 mg/L exposure group. Metabolomics revealed that exposure to microplastics disturbed many metabolic pathways, such as amino acid metabolism, lipid metabolism, biosynthesis of amino acids, aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, and that different concentrations of microplastics induced diverse metabolomic profiles in oysters. Overall, the current study provides new reference data and insights for assessing food safety and consumer health risks caused by microplastic contamination.