Governors of St Francis Xavier University

Published purpose

Plastic pollution is a worldwide problem. As plastic pollution is expected to grow, the amount of plastic in the environment is also expected to grow. Plastic pieces found in the environment are categorized depending on their size: microplastics (MP) (1-5000 µm) and nanoplastics (NP) (1-1000 nm). Both micro and nanoplastics can have deleterious effects when ingested by organisms in the environment. Observed effects varies from food dilution, oxidative stress and lower reproductive success. Additionally, more and more research is done on organisms microbiome. Once ingested, microplastics are mainly accumulating in the gastro-intestinal tract before being egested with feces and only a small portion will reach other organs. In the case of nanoplastics, due to their small sizes, they can cross biological barriers and can be distributed within all organs. As the gastro-intestinal tract is where both micro and nanoplastic transit through, these particles can have potential effects on the gastro-intestinal tract itself but also on the microbiome inhabitating it. Additionally, some research found that nanoplastics can disrupt the brain-intestine-microbiota axis, and call for this endpoint to be studied when assessing the environmental risk of micro and nanoplastics. To study the effects of micro and nanoplastics on gut microbiota, we propose to use adult zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a model species.