Preliminary Evaluation of the Developmental Effects of Microbeads Using the Frog Embryo Teratogenesis Assay: Xenopus (FETAX)

Microbeads are the tiny pieces of polyethylene plastic added to health and beauty products. It is used as exfoliating and polishing agents in cosmetics like sunscreen, lotions, deodorants, makeup products, toothpastes, and blood flow determination tests. The effects of the concentration of the microbeads, Fluospheres™ polystyrene, 10μm, was determined by using the Frog Embryo Teratogenesis Assay- Xenopus (FETAX). The early stage of South African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis, were exposed to the concentrations of the microplastics with FETAX solution for 4 days from small cell blastula to a free-living tadpole. The small fraction of microbeads was mixed with 20 mL of FETAX solution to make different concentration microbeads solution. Four different test solutions were used in two set of plastic petri dishes of 10 embryos. The control groups consisted of 4 plastic petri dishes of 10 embryos each with 8 mL FETAX solution without microbeads solution. Dead embryos were removed after every 24 hours, and solutions were renewed. The mortality, malformation and length of tadpole were recorded for all petri dishes at the end of 4 days. The results show that higher the concentration of the microplastics, more likely to increase the mortality of the tadpole. The 96-hr LC50 and 96-hr EC50 of approximately 1866.500 and 931.493 microbeads per ml respectively.https://digitalcommons.jsu.edu/ce_jsustudentsymp_2022/1023/thumbnail.jp