Accumulation and immunotoxicity of microplastics in the estuarine worm Hediste diversicolor in environmentally relevant conditions of exposure

The presence of plastic debris < 5 mm called microplastics (MPs) which results mainly from macroplastic’s fragmentation has been reported in aquatic ecosystems. Several studies have shown that MPs are persistent and their accumulation was observed in various aquatic species. However, the majority of studies focused on marine species, and much less on continental and estuarine biota. The goal of the present study was to investigate the effects of a mixture of two types of MPs (polyethylene and polypropylene), frequently found in natural environments, towards the ragworm Hediste diversicolor to determine their accumulation in organisms exposed through the water phase or sediment. Two concentrations of exposure were selected for medium and heavily contaminated areas reported for water phase (10 and 100 μg/L) and sediment (10 and 50 mg of MPs/kg). To study the potential toxic effect of MPs, immune parameters were selected since they are involved in many defense mechanisms against xenobiotics or infectious agents. An average number of MP items/worm ranging from 0 to 2.5 and from 1 to 36 were identified in animals exposed to the lowest and the highest concentration of MPs through water exposure. In worms exposed through sediment, less than 1 MP/worm was found and a greater number of particles were identified in depurated sediment. For immunotoxic impact, MP exposure induced a decrease in coelomocytes viability, but no alteration of phagocytosis activity, phenoloxydase, and acid phosphatase was measured. This study brings new results on the potential accumulation and immunotoxicity of MPs for the ragworm H. diversicolor who plays a key role in the structure and functioning of estuarine ecosystem.