We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Coexposure to microplastic and arsenic induces prooxidative situation in Laeonereis culveri (Annelida, Polychaeta)
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers exposed the marine polychaete Laeonereis culveri to microplastics alone, arsenic alone, or both combined and found that co-exposure produced an additive prooxidative effect — increasing reactive oxygen species and oxidative damage beyond either pollutant alone.
Microplastics (MP) can act as carriers of other contaminants, such as metals, including the metalloid arsenic (As). So, the objective of this study was to evaluate the combined effect of MP and As on the polychaete Laeonereis culveri. The animals were divided into four experimental groups: (1) exposed to MP (40 μg/L, polystyrene, 1.1 μm, spherical), (2) exposed only to As (50 μg/L as arsenite), (3) exposed to both MP and As (same concentrations as cited above), and (4) a control group (only water). The animals were exposed for 7 days and parameters related to oxidative stress and energy metabolism, as well as total arsenic content and chemical speciation, were analyzed. The results showed that coexposure to MP and As induced a decrease in GPx and GST activities, while GSH levels were reduced in the group exposed only to microplastics. MP did not induce changes in As accumulation nor did it affect As metabolization capacity. Coexposure to As and MP resulted in elevated glucose levels, lactate concentrations, and LDH activity. Hence, our findings imply that the combination of As and MP may induce a prooxidant environment in L. culveri. Such conditions could potentially compromise other long-term physiological functions.
More Papers Like This
Investigation of Toxicity of the Combined Exposure of Microplastics and Arsenic (III) on Clams
AI summary Read the abstract
This study examined the combined toxicity of microplastics and arsenic(III) on freshwater clams, finding that co-exposure caused greater oxidative stress and tissue damage than either contaminant alone, suggesting synergistic interactions between microplastics and heavy metals.
Multigenerational effects of co-exposure to dimethylarsinic acid and polystyrene microplastics on the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers found that co-exposure to dimethylarsinic acid and polystyrene microplastics across five generations of C. elegans nematodes caused cumulative harm, with microplastics reducing detoxification capacity and arsenic impairing growth more severely than either pollutant alone.
Unveiling the impact of polystyrene and low-density polyethylene microplastics on arsenic toxicity in earthworms
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers examined how polystyrene and polyethylene microplastics interact with arsenic contamination to affect earthworms in soil. While the microplastics did not change arsenic's effects on survival, growth, or reproduction, they did increase oxidative stress and reduce the activity of protective antioxidant enzymes when combined with arsenic exposure. The study provides evidence that microplastics in contaminated soils may subtly alter how organisms handle heavy metal stress, even when survival rates appear unaffected.
Oxidative stress–mediated synergistic deleterious effects of nano- and microplastics in the hypoxia-conditioned marine rotifer Brachionus plicatilis
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers found that co-exposure to nano- and microplastics under low-oxygen conditions produced synergistic harmful effects in marine rotifers across multiple generations, driven by oxidative stress and disruption of the hypoxia-inducible factor pathway.
Polyethylene microplastics enhance metal(loid)s toxicity and accumulation in the marine rotifer Proales similis
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers studied how polyethylene microplastics interact with toxic metals like arsenic, cadmium, copper, and lead in their effects on a tropical marine rotifer. They found that microplastics enhanced the toxicity and accumulation of these metals in the organism, even at realistic environmental concentrations. The study suggests that the combination of microplastics and metal pollutants in marine environments poses a greater risk to aquatic life than either pollutant alone.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.