Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a commonly used thermoplastic in industry due to its excellent malleability and thermal stability, making it extensively employed in packaging manufacturing. Inadequate disposal of PET packaging in the environment and natural physical-chemical processes leads to the formation of smaller particles known as PET micro and nanoplastics (MNPs). The reduced dimensions enhance particle bioavailability and, subsequently, their reactivity. This study involved chemical degradation of PET using trifluoroacetic acid to assess the impact of exposure to varying concentrations of PET MNPs (0.5, 1, 5, 10, and 20 mg/L) on morphological, functional, behavioral, and biochemical parameters during the early developmental stages of zebrafish (). Characterization of the degraded PET revealed the generated microplastics (MPs) ranged in size from 1305 to 2032 μm, and that the generated nanoplastics (NPs) ranged from 68.06 to 955 nm. These particles were then used for animal exposure. After a six-day exposure period, our findings indicate that PET MNPs can diminish spontaneous tail coiling (STC), elevate the heart rate, accumulate on the chorion surface, and reduce interocular distance. These results suggest that PET exposure induces primary toxic effects on zebrafish embryo-larval stage of development.

中文翻译：

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环境相关暴露于聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯（PET）微粒和纳米颗粒对斑马鱼早期发育的毒性影响

聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯（PET）是工业上常用的热塑性塑料，由于其优异的延展性和热稳定性，使其广泛应用于包装制造。PET 包装在环境和自然物理化学过程中的处置不当会导致形成更小的颗粒，称为 PET 微纳米塑料 (MNP)。减小的尺寸增强了颗粒的生物利用度，从而增强了它们的反应性。本研究涉及使用三氟乙酸对 PET 进行化学降解，以评估早期暴露于不同浓度 PET MNP（0.5、1、5、10 和 20 mg/L）对形态、功能、行为和生化参数的影响。斑马鱼的发育阶段 () 降解 PET 的表征表明，生成的微塑料 (MP) 尺寸范围为 1305 至 2032 μm，生成的纳米塑料 (NP) 范围为 68.06 至 955 nm。然后将这些颗粒用于动物暴露。经过六天的暴露期后，我们的研究结果表明，PET MNP 可以减少自发卷尾 (STC)、提高心率、在绒毛膜表面积聚并缩短眼间距。这些结果表明，PET 暴露会对斑马鱼胚胎幼虫发育阶段产生主要毒性作用。