Investigating the Effects of Polypropylene Nano- and Microplastics on the Metabolism of Multiple Organs and Tissues in Nile Tilapia Using a Homemade Internal Extractive Electrospray Ionization Technique

Abstract

The investigation of the metabolic toxicity of nano- and microplastics is of great significance in assessing their potential impacts on ecosystems and human health, as it provides a fundamental scientific basis for environmental protection and sustainable development. In this study, a home-made internal extractive electrospray ionization source (iEESI) with advantages of selective extraction and no sample pretreatment was integrated with high-resolution Orbitrap Fusion Tribrid mass spectrometer to investigate the metabolic dysregulation and its correlation induced by polypropylene nano- and microplastics with different particle sizes and concentrations in various organs and tissues of tilapia. A total of 71, 70, and 60 unique metabolites were identified in the brain, gill, and muscle tissue of tilapia respectively, and 16 shared metabolites were also detected. Further correlation analysis revealed associations between these metabolites, identifying pairs of metabolites with positive and negative associations. Metabolic pathway and enrichment analysis showed modulation disturbances in pathways such as glycerophospholipid metabolism and arachidonic acid metabolism, suggesting that the dysregulation of these metabolites may lead to decreased immune function, inflammation, and neurotoxicity in tilapia. The iEESI-MS technique demonstrated great potential in the rapid analysis of large batches of biological samples and represented a promising analytical method for environmental metabolomics and toxicology research.

Keywords: Nano-and micro-plastics, iEESI-MS, multiple organs and tissues, metabolic differences, metabolites pathways, correlation analysis