Abstract
Microplastics (MPs) are widespread in aquatic environments, yet the links between environmental contamination, fish interception, and translocation to internal organs remain poorly understood. This study provides the first integrated assessment of MP contamination in an urban river system, quantifying concentrations in the water column and tracing their interception and organ-specific accumulation in a bioindicator freshwater fish, the planktivorous bleak (Alburnus arborella). MPs were characterized by concentration, shape, and size in six organs: gastrointestinal tract, liver, kidney, muscle, brain, and gonads. Remarkable loads of MPs were detected downstream of a metropolitan area and in all examined organs, with the liver and kidney showing the highest concentrations. Trophic ecology emerged as a key driver of active–indirect MP uptake via contaminated prey. Organ-specific translocation pathways were identified, with long fibers dominating in muscle, fragments in the kidney, and small spheres in the brain, the latter suggesting a higher capacity to cross the hematoencephalic barrier. These results demonstrate that size and shape of MPs, together with feeding ecology, govern MP interception and distribution dynamics, highlighting smaller MPs as a particular risk. The findings fill a critical gap in freshwater MP contamination research, underscore the need for further field-based studies on bioaccumulation and long-term exposure effects, and highlight the importance of incorporating MP morphology and ecological interactions into environmental risk assessments.
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Data availability
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, G.P., upon reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
The authors want to thank Dr. Flavio Gagliardi (Panaque) and Dr. Lorenzo Tancioni for supporting the specimens’ collection. Assistance in creating the QGIS map of the study area is acknowledged by Sara Cau.
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This research was supported by the PON Blue Growth program through the project “Interventions to support the advanced, integrated, and sustainable development of aquaculture – INSAIL” (CUP – E86C18001440008) and by the PRIN-PNRR project “Competition and Response in Fish Shoals – COREFISH” (CUP C22PnrrP2022ZPMXH_002).
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G.P. co-conceptualized the study, performed the investigation and formal analysis, developed the methodology, curated the data, and wrote the original draft. C.B. and A.R. conceptualized and supervised the study, reviewed and edited the manuscript.
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Papini, G., Boglione, C. & Rakaj, A. Microplastics Interception from Riverine Ecosystems and Translocation to Fish Internal Organs.
Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-41784-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-41784-w
Keywords
- Trophic ecology
- Risk assessment
- Occurrence
- Bioaccumulation
- Translocation fate
Source: Ecology - nature.com
