Thermoset Polyester Resin Microplastics: Effects on Enzymatic Biomarkers and Toxicological Endpoint Responses of <i>Eisenia fetida</i> Earthworms

Thermosets are plastic composite materials widely used in many industrial sectors of modern society with an increasing presence in the environment. The adverse effects of this material on environmental compartments and biota of thermosets are still unknown. In this work, we studied the potential eff...

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Main Authors: David Amaya-Vías, Gemma Albendín, Vanessa Aranda-Quirós, Rocío Rodríguez-Barroso, Dolores Coello, Juana María Arellano
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-07-01
Series:Toxics
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/13/7/602
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author David Amaya-Vías
Gemma Albendín
Vanessa Aranda-Quirós
Rocío Rodríguez-Barroso
Dolores Coello
Juana María Arellano
author_facet David Amaya-Vías
Gemma Albendín
Vanessa Aranda-Quirós
Rocío Rodríguez-Barroso
Dolores Coello
Juana María Arellano
author_sort David Amaya-Vías
collection DOAJ
description Thermosets are plastic composite materials widely used in many industrial sectors of modern society with an increasing presence in the environment. The adverse effects of this material on environmental compartments and biota of thermosets are still unknown. In this work, we studied the potential effects of two thermoset polyester resin-derived microplastics (R930A-SP and R930A-DVE1) on the survival, behavior, morphological changes and subcellular damage of earthworms <i>Eisenia fetida</i>. The proposed experimental conditions simulated environmentally relevant concentrations, taking as a reference other related microplastics present in the environment. Thus, <i>E. fetida</i> specimens were exposed to five concentrations (100, 500, 1000, 1500 and 2000 mg resin per kg soil) of these two resins for 14 days. At concentrations and exposure times studied, no significant effects on growth, measured as weight loss, or on the enzyme biomarkers (cholinesterase, carboxylesterase and glutathione S-transferase) were observed. Similarly, no behavioral changes were detected in earthworms, and the survival rate was 100%. Likewise, no differences were observed between the different formulations of the polyester resins studied. However, this study could serve as a starting point for further studies with higher concentrations and/or exposure times, as well as in combination with other pollutants.
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publishDate 2025-07-01
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spelling doaj-art-d3783b8caf974a39bd3079f2caaa43d62025-08-20T03:32:19ZengMDPI AGToxics2305-63042025-07-0113760210.3390/toxics13070602Thermoset Polyester Resin Microplastics: Effects on Enzymatic Biomarkers and Toxicological Endpoint Responses of <i>Eisenia fetida</i> EarthwormsDavid Amaya-Vías0Gemma Albendín1Vanessa Aranda-Quirós2Rocío Rodríguez-Barroso3Dolores Coello4Juana María Arellano5Área de Toxicología, Faculty of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Instituto Universitario de Investigación Marina (INMAR), Campus de Excelencia Internacional del Mar (CEIMAR), University of Cadiz, Av. República Saharaui, Puerto Real, 11510 Cadiz, SpainÁrea de Toxicología, Faculty of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Instituto Universitario de Investigación Marina (INMAR), Campus de Excelencia Internacional del Mar (CEIMAR), University of Cadiz, Av. República Saharaui, Puerto Real, 11510 Cadiz, SpainÁrea de Toxicología, Faculty of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Instituto Universitario de Investigación Marina (INMAR), Campus de Excelencia Internacional del Mar (CEIMAR), University of Cadiz, Av. República Saharaui, Puerto Real, 11510 Cadiz, SpainDepartamento de Tecnologías del Medio Ambiente, Faculty of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Instituto Universitario de Investigación Marina (INMAR), Campus de Excelencia Internacional del Mar (CEIMAR), University of Cadiz, Av. República Saharaui, Puerto Real, 11510 Cadiz, SpainDepartamento de Tecnologías del Medio Ambiente, Faculty of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Instituto Universitario de Investigación Marina (INMAR), Campus de Excelencia Internacional del Mar (CEIMAR), University of Cadiz, Av. República Saharaui, Puerto Real, 11510 Cadiz, SpainÁrea de Toxicología, Faculty of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Instituto Universitario de Investigación Marina (INMAR), Campus de Excelencia Internacional del Mar (CEIMAR), University of Cadiz, Av. República Saharaui, Puerto Real, 11510 Cadiz, SpainThermosets are plastic composite materials widely used in many industrial sectors of modern society with an increasing presence in the environment. The adverse effects of this material on environmental compartments and biota of thermosets are still unknown. In this work, we studied the potential effects of two thermoset polyester resin-derived microplastics (R930A-SP and R930A-DVE1) on the survival, behavior, morphological changes and subcellular damage of earthworms <i>Eisenia fetida</i>. The proposed experimental conditions simulated environmentally relevant concentrations, taking as a reference other related microplastics present in the environment. Thus, <i>E. fetida</i> specimens were exposed to five concentrations (100, 500, 1000, 1500 and 2000 mg resin per kg soil) of these two resins for 14 days. At concentrations and exposure times studied, no significant effects on growth, measured as weight loss, or on the enzyme biomarkers (cholinesterase, carboxylesterase and glutathione S-transferase) were observed. Similarly, no behavioral changes were detected in earthworms, and the survival rate was 100%. Likewise, no differences were observed between the different formulations of the polyester resins studied. However, this study could serve as a starting point for further studies with higher concentrations and/or exposure times, as well as in combination with other pollutants.https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/13/7/602thermoset microplasticspolyester resinsbiomarkers<i>E. fetida</i>
spellingShingle David Amaya-Vías
Gemma Albendín
Vanessa Aranda-Quirós
Rocío Rodríguez-Barroso
Dolores Coello
Juana María Arellano
Thermoset Polyester Resin Microplastics: Effects on Enzymatic Biomarkers and Toxicological Endpoint Responses of <i>Eisenia fetida</i> Earthworms
Toxics
thermoset microplastics
polyester resins
biomarkers
<i>E. fetida</i>
title Thermoset Polyester Resin Microplastics: Effects on Enzymatic Biomarkers and Toxicological Endpoint Responses of <i>Eisenia fetida</i> Earthworms
title_full Thermoset Polyester Resin Microplastics: Effects on Enzymatic Biomarkers and Toxicological Endpoint Responses of <i>Eisenia fetida</i> Earthworms
title_fullStr Thermoset Polyester Resin Microplastics: Effects on Enzymatic Biomarkers and Toxicological Endpoint Responses of <i>Eisenia fetida</i> Earthworms
title_full_unstemmed Thermoset Polyester Resin Microplastics: Effects on Enzymatic Biomarkers and Toxicological Endpoint Responses of <i>Eisenia fetida</i> Earthworms
title_short Thermoset Polyester Resin Microplastics: Effects on Enzymatic Biomarkers and Toxicological Endpoint Responses of <i>Eisenia fetida</i> Earthworms
title_sort thermoset polyester resin microplastics effects on enzymatic biomarkers and toxicological endpoint responses of i eisenia fetida i earthworms
topic thermoset microplastics
polyester resins
biomarkers
<i>E. fetida</i>
url https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/13/7/602
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