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Muñiz-González, Ana-BelénAuthor

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January 6, 2025
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Chironomus riparius molecular response to polystyrene primary microplastics

Publicated to: Science Of The Total Environment. 868 161540- - 2023-01-21 868(), DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.161540

Authors:

Kalman, Judit; Muniz-Gonzalez, Ana-Belen; Garcia, Maria-Angeles; Martinez-Guitarte, Jose -Luis
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Affiliations

UNED, Fac Ciencias, Grp Biol & Toxicol Ambiental, Ave Esparta S-N Carretera Las Rozas El Escorial, Madrid 28232, Spain - Author
UNED, UNED Lab, Madrid, Spain - Author
Univ Rey Juan Carlos, Fac Ciencias Salud, Grp Riesgos Ambientales Salud & Medio Ambiente Ri, Mostoles, Spain - Author
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Abstract

Microplastics are emerging as a central concern for the environment. They can be found worldwide, produced for the industry and because of plastic debris degradation. The microplastics are smaller than 5 mm, but they can also range in micro and nanometer scales, present in soil and aquatic ecosystems. Furthermore, they can have different chemical compositions, including additives with putative toxicity. Chironomus riparius is a dipteran with aquatic larvae used in toxicology tests. As a benthic organism, it can be exposed to microplastics in the water and the sediments, being able to ingest some of them depending on the size and shape. However, it is still poor knowledge of the effects that microplastics have on invertebrates, especially at the molecular level. We have analyzed the impact that 5-5.9 mu m spheres of polystyrene have on the metabolism of C. riparius, studying the transcriptional activity of eighty genes, twenty-eight described here for the first time. The genes covered the endocrine response, the detoxification mechanisms, the stress response, the DNA repairing mechanisms, hypoxia, oxidative stress, apoptosis, immunity, cholesterol metabolism, energy metabolism, the circadian rhythm, signaling, and regulation of piRNAs. The results showed that at 24 h, the stress response was the most affected, while at 48 h, the endocrine response and detoxification were slightly affected. Finally, at 72 h, endocrine response, detoxification mechanisms, and lipid metabolism genes were altered. Overall, the data suggest an acute response involving stress genes downregulation, while the later response seems to move to metabolic alterations, with changes in hormonal regulation and metabolism. It could be because micrometer microplastics are confounded with food, decreasing the availability of resources for larval development. The present work shows a dynamic impact of polystyrene microspheres and provides new putative biomarkers to analyze several mechanisms involved in the cellular and physiological response to toxicants.
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Keywords

AdditivesAnimalAnimalsApoptosisAquatic ecosystemsAquatic organismsArticleBenthosBiomarkerCell deathChironomidaeChironomus ripariusCholesterol metabolismCircadian rhythmControlled studyDetoxificationDetoxification mechanismDipteraDna repairDown regulationEndocrine responseEnergy metabolismExpressionGene expressionGenesGenes expressionHomeostasisHormonal regulationHormone releaseHypoxiaImmunityInvertebratInvertebrateLarvaLarval developmentLipid metabolismMetabolic pathway analysisMetabolic pathwaysMetabolismMicroplasticMicroplasticsMicrosphereMolecular responseNonhumanOxidative stressPhysiological modelsPhysiological responsePhysiological stressPhysiologyPlasticPlastic debrisPlastic wastePlasticsPolystyrenePolystyrene derivativePolystyrenesProteinsStresses responseToxicologyUltraviolet filtersVinclozolinWater pollutantWater pollutants, chemical

Quality index

Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel

The work has been published in the journal Science Of The Total Environment due to its progression and the good impact it has achieved in recent years, according to the agency WoS (JCR), it has become a reference in its field. In the year of publication of the work, 2023, it was in position 31/358, thus managing to position itself as a Q1 (Primer Cuartil), in the category Environmental Sciences. Notably, the journal is positioned above the 90th percentile.

Independientemente del impacto esperado determinado por el canal de difusión, es importante destacar el impacto real observado de la propia aportación.

Según las diferentes agencias de indexación, el número de citas acumuladas por esta publicación hasta la fecha 2025-12-20:

  • WoS: 6
  • Scopus: 10
  • Europe PMC: 4
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Impact and social visibility

From the perspective of influence or social adoption, and based on metrics associated with mentions and interactions provided by agencies specializing in calculating the so-called "Alternative or Social Metrics," we can highlight as of 2025-12-20:

  • The use, from an academic perspective evidenced by the Altmetric agency indicator referring to aggregations made by the personal bibliographic manager Mendeley, gives us a total of: 51.
  • The use of this contribution in bookmarks, code forks, additions to favorite lists for recurrent reading, as well as general views, indicates that someone is using the publication as a basis for their current work. This may be a notable indicator of future more formal and academic citations. This claim is supported by the result of the "Capture" indicator, which yields a total of: 53 (PlumX).

With a more dissemination-oriented intent and targeting more general audiences, we can observe other more global scores such as:

  • The Total Score from Altmetric: 3.
  • The number of mentions on the social network X (formerly Twitter): 3 (Altmetric).

It is essential to present evidence supporting full alignment with institutional principles and guidelines on Open Science and the Conservation and Dissemination of Intellectual Heritage. A clear example of this is:

  • The work has been submitted to a journal whose editorial policy allows open Open Access publication.
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Awards linked to the item

This work was supported by Programa Estatal de I+D+i Orientada a los Retos de la Sociedad (Spain), Grant RTI2018-094598-B-100 from the Ciencias y Tecnologias Medioambientales program. A.B.M.G received a predoctoral contract from Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia. The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
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