Microplastic Ingestion Induces Size-Specific Effects in Japanese Quail
Laura Monclús, Eliana McCann Smith, Tomasz Maciej Ciesielski, Martin Wagner, Veerle L.B. Jaspers
Abstract
). Birds were orally exposed to 600 mg MP over 5 weeks, covering small (<125 μm) and large (3 mm) MP, both separately and in a mixture. We evaluated multiple sublethal endpoints in quail, including oxidative stress, cytokine levels, blood-biochemical parameters, and reproductive hormones in blood, as well as body mass. Exposure to small MP significantly induced the activities of the antioxidant enzymes catalase, glutathione-S-transferase, and glutathione peroxidase. Exposure to large MP increased the levels of aspartate aminotransferase (liver parameter) and decreased 17β-estradiol levels in females. Body mass was not directly affected by MP ingestion; however, quail exposed to small MP and a mixture of large and small MP had a different growth rate compared to control quail. Our study used similar levels of MP as ingested by wild birds and demonstrated size-dependent effects of MP that can result in sublethal effects in avifauna.