Effects of polystyrene nanoplastics on the amino acid composition of Asian Clam ( Corbicula fluminea )

Because the effect of nanoplastics (NPs) on muscle nutrition is poorly understood, a systematic study of the growth performance, tissue damage, and amino acid composition of Asian clam ( Corbicula fluminea ) under polystyrene nanoplastic (PS-NP) treatment was performed by combining short- and long-term treatments together. The primary results showed the shell length, height, and width increased as time progressed, whereas the body weight of C . fluminea revealed no significant difference between the PS-NP -treated clams and the blank control during the entire experiment. Histopathology analyses manifested the inflammatory cell infiltration and vacuolization rates of gill, gut, gonads, and muscle were elevated under PS-NP treatment in comparison with those of the blank control, indicating PS-NP -induced tissue damage occurred irreversibly. Downregulated SOD activity and upregulated CAT and GPX activities were detected, accompanied by increased MDA and GSH levels, suggesting PS-NPs induced tissues damage associated with its role as an antioxidant system disruptor. Levels of four bitter amino acids (Val, Met, Ile, Leu) significantly increased in the PS-NP-treated group compared to levels in the blank control, which was the dominant variation in muscle nutrition. As a result of these changes, the meat quality of C . fluminea decreased, which is a novel discovery of this work.