Exposure of microalgae Euglena gracilis to polystyrene microbeads and cadmium: Perspective from the physiological and transcriptional responses

Micro(nano)plastics (MPs/NPs) are already present as contaminants in the natural environment globally and have been shown to be difficult to degrade, resulting in the potential for ecological damage and public health concerns. However, the adverse effects of exposure to MPs/NPs by aquatic organisms, especially freshwater microalgae, remains unclear. In the present study, the growth, physiology and transcriptome of the freshwater microalgae Euglena gracilis were comprehensively analyzed following exposure to 1 mg/L of polystyrene (PS) microbeads (5 μm PS-MPs and 100 nm PS-NPs), 0.5 mg/L cadmium (Cd), or a mixture of PS microbeads and Cd for 96 h. Results showed that the toxicity of PS-MPs to microalgae was greater than PS-NPs, inducing increased growth inhibition, oxidative damage and decreased photosynthesis pigment concentrations. PS-MPs alone or in combination with Cd caused cavitation within microalgal cells, as well as increasing the number and volume of vacuoles. The combined exposure toxicity test showed that a combination of Cd + PS-NPs was more toxic than Cd + PS-MPs, which may be explained by the transcriptomic analysis results. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the Cd + PS-NPs group were mainly enriched in metabolism-related pathways, suggesting that algal metabolism was hindered, resulting in aggravation of toxicity. The reduced toxicity induced by Cd + PS-MPs may indicate a response to resist external stress processes. In addition, no adsorption of 0.5 mg/L Cd to 1 mg/L PS microbeads was observed, suggesting that adsorption of MPs/NPs and Cd was not the key factor determining the combined toxicity effects in this study.