Ecotoxicology and environmental safetyOct 31, 2026

Combined Exposure to Octocrylene and Plastic Nanoparticles Causes Brain and Reproductive Harm in Zebrafish Linked to Disrupted Body Clocks and Hormone Systems

Circadian Biology Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Nov 2, 2026

Abstract

Co-exposure to Octocrylene and polystyrene nanoplastics disrupts behavioral and reproductive health in adult zebrafish.

Behavioral phenotypes in adult zebrafish were significantly disrupted after 28 days of exposure to Octocrylene and polystyrene nanoplastics.
Transcription of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (bdnf) was suppressed, indicating potential neurotoxic effects.
Core circadian clock genes (per1b, per2, per3, cry1a, cry2, nr1d1) were downregulated, suggesting interference with biological rhythms.
Co-exposure affected sex hormone synthesis and caused gonadal damage by modulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis.
Molecular docking indicates that Octocrylene may interact directly with estrogen receptors and CYP19, which could contribute to endocrine disruption.

Simplified

Octocrylene (OC) is a widely used ultraviolet filter frequently detected in aquatic environments. Micro- and nanoplastics (M/NPs) are persistent pollutants that can adsorb organic contaminants such as OC, leading to combined exposure risks. However, the long-term neuroendocrine effects of environmentally relevant co-exposure to OC and nanoplastics remain poorly understood. In this study, adult zebrafish were exposed to OC (5 µg/L) with or without polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NPs, 80 nm, 1.0 mg/L) for 28 days. Co-exposure to OC and PS-NPs significantly disrupted behavioral phenotypes, suppressed bdnf transcription, and downregulated core circadian clock genes (per1b, per2, per3, cry1a, cry2, nr1d1), indicating aggravated neurotoxicity. Furthermore, co-exposure interfered with sex hormone synthesis and caused gonadal damage by modulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis at the transcriptional level, leading to more severe reproductive toxicity and impaired offspring development. Molecular docking revealed that OC may directly interact with estrogen receptors (ERα, ERβ) and CYP19, providing a molecular basis for endocrine disruption. These findings demonstrate that PS-NPs enhance the neurotoxic and reproductive effects of OC through circadian and HPG axis disruption, highlighting the need for considering nanoplastics as toxicity amplifiers in environmental risk assessment.

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Combined Exposure to Octocrylene and Plastic Nanoparticles Causes Brain and Reproductive Harm in Zebrafish Linked to Disrupted Body Clocks and Hormone Systems

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