Deciphering Micro- and Nanoplastic-Mediated Biotransformation and Biodistribution of Heavy Metals in Fish

Objective

Micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) are pervasive in aquatic ecosystems and pose growing ecological and human health risks by acting as vectors for toxic heavy metals (HMs) such as arsenic, mercury, and chromium. Their high surface area and surface reactivity enable strong HM adsorption, altering bioavailability and toxicity once ingested by fish, which are key links in the human food chain. Yet, it remains unclear how fundamental MNP traits including size, polymer type, and environmental aging, govern HM bioaccumulation, in vivo biotransformation, and organ-specific toxicity. The METAPlastic project will address these gaps by combining zebrafish exposure studies with state-of-the-art analytical techniques (e.g., HPLC/GC-ICP-MS and synchrotron-based XAFS for speciation; laser-ablation ICP-MS and synchrotron micro-XRF for spatial mapping) and advanced machine learning models. This integrated approach will provide mechanistic insights into how MNP properties dictate HM fate and toxicity and establish predictive tools for risk assessment under complex environmental scenarios.