Toxicological impacts of environmentally equivalent microplastics and cadmium co-exposure in tropical freshwater crab Sartoriana spinigera

Ananya Chakraborty; Upayan Anam; Tanmoy Gupta; Md. Khalid Saifullah; Gourab Chowdhury; Md. Selim Reza; Mohammad Moniruzzaman; Petra Schneider; Mohammed Mahbub Iqbal; Mohammad Amzad Hossain

doi:10.3389/ftox.2026.1804866

Back

Toxicological impacts of environmentally equivalent microplastics and cadmium co-exposure in tropical freshwater crab Sartoriana spinigera

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Toxicological impacts of environmentally equivalent microplastics and cadmium co-exposure in tropical freshwater crab Sartoriana spinigera

Ananya Chakraborty, Upayan Anam, Tanmoy Gupta, Md. Khalid Saifullah, Gourab Chowdhury, Md. Selim Reza, Mohammad Moniruzzaman, Petra Schneider, Mohammed Mahbub Iqbal and Mohammad Amzad Hossain

Frontiers in Toxicology, Vol.8, pp.1-15

2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/ftox.2026.1804866

PMCID: PMC13252950

PMID: 42283005

Files and links (1)

pdf

ftox-8-18048664.03 MBDownload View

Published Version Open Access CC BY V4.0

Abstract

bioaccumulation

brix

haematobiochemical indices

histomorphology

Sartoriana spinigera

The toxic effects of microplastics (MPs) and trace metals on freshwater crustaceans remain poorly understood; therefore, current research examined the individual and combined effects of MPs, specifically polystyrene (PS) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and cadmium (Cd) on female freshwater crabs, Sartoriana spinigera, emphasizing behaviour, growth, haematobiochemical parameters, and tissue morphology. Crabs were exposed to five treatments (PS, PET, Cd, PS + Cd, PET + Cd) and a control for 14 days. The exposure caused notable behavioural and growth alterations, with the lowest survival rate (33.33% ± 6.67%) observed in the PS group. Bioaccumulation was highest in the gills for PS (44.67 ± 4.49 items/g) and in the hepatopancreas for PET (36.33 ± 2.41 items/g). Liver health markers showed increased alanine aminotransferase in the Cd group (9.33 ± 0.37 U/L), and elevated aspartate aminotransferase levels were noted in the PS group (25.83 ± 0.44 U/L). Additional stress markers, including total cholesterol, triglycerides, brix, glucose, and total protein, confirmed physiological disturbance in toxicant-exposed groups. Histomorphological analysis revealed structural changes in the hepatopancreas and gills, indicating impaired organ function. Overall, co-exposure caused greater physiological stress than individual treatment alone, demonstrating a combined toxic effect. These findings enhance our understanding of the complex interactions between MPs and toxic metals in tropical freshwater ecosystems, providing valuable insights for future research into multi-stressor impacts on crustacean physiology and toxicology.

Details

Title: Toxicological impacts of environmentally equivalent microplastics and cadmium co-exposure in tropical freshwater crab Sartoriana spinigera
Authors: Ananya Chakraborty - Sylhet Agricultural University
Upayan Anam - Sylhet Agricultural University
Tanmoy Gupta - Sylhet Agricultural University
Md. Khalid Saifullah - Sylhet Agricultural University
Gourab Chowdhury - University of the Sunshine Coast
Md. Selim Reza - Jahangirnagar University
Mohammad Moniruzzaman - Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research
Petra Schneider (Corresponding Author) - Hochschule Magdeburg-Stendal
Mohammed Mahbub Iqbal - Sylhet Agricultural University
Mohammad Amzad Hossain (Corresponding Author) - Sylhet Agricultural University
Publication details: Frontiers in Toxicology, Vol.8, pp.1-15
Publisher: Frontiers Research Foundation
Date published: 2026
DOI: 10.3389/ftox.2026.1804866
ISSN: 2673-3080
PMID: 42283005; PMC13252950
Copyright note: © 2026 Chakraborty, Anam, Gupta, Saifullah, Chowdhury, Reza, Moniruzzaman, Schneider, Iqbal and Hossain. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
Data Availability: The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article/Supplementary Material, further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding authors.
Grant note: Sylhet Agricultural University Research System budget reference code SAURESUGC-2024-25-FISH-069.
Organisation Unit: School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991246279002621
Output Type: Journal article

Metrics

1 Record Views

See more details

InCites Highlights

These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output

Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration; International collaboration
Web Of Science research areas: Toxicology

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

Source: SDGs from InCites