Citotoxicity of microplastic to mangrove oysters (Crassostrea brasiliana) using the neutral red retention time Raphael Vitorino Gloria Giannetto, Jennifer Barbosa dos Santos, Caio Rodrigues Nobre, Paloma Kachel Gusso-Choueri

Abstract

The ocean occupies the largest part of our planet and harbors a vast number of species, as well as being intrinsically linked to the social and economic interests of human society. Plastic debris is considered "ubiquitous pollutants" and represents a potential threat to the ocean and marine biodiversity. Microplastics are plastic microparticles that are smaller than 5mm and can be classified as primary or secondary microplastics. Marine organisms can be exposed to these particles through direct or indirect ingestion, and the smaller the particles, the easier they are to consume. These plastic microparticles contain toxic substances in their composition and alone already present subcellular and tissue-level toxicity and effects on organisms. The Neutral Red Retention Time (NRRT) assay is a biomarker that uses the neutral red dye to assess cell healtophilh and lysosomal function, with the retention of the dye indicating cell damage and possible problems with the proton pump. Given the above, the objective of this project was to evaluate the cytotoxicity of microplastics in the mangrove oyster (Crassostrea brasiliana). From the data, it can be inferred that there was a decrease in the retention time of the neutral red dye in the microplastic treatment compared to the control.