Exposure of Mytilus galloprovincialis to Microplastics: Accumulation, Depuration and Evaluation of the Expression Levels of a Selection of Molecular Biomarkers

Microplastics are an environmental pollutant increasingly present in seawater, the spread of which also represents a threat to food safety. In fact, these particles can be ingested through various foods, among the most at risk are bivalve molluscs, as they filter large quantities of seawater and enter the diet of consumers ingested entirely. Purification studies of bivalves could allow us to understand in a more precise way the ability of organisms to eliminate microplastics, in order to test this process as a potential method of removing such contaminants from bivalves intended for human consumption.