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Synergistic toxicity of abamectin with nanoplastics in rainbow trout mediated by gut-liver axis disruption: Insights into oxidative stress, metabolic dysregulation, and microbiota change
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Scientists found that when a common pesticide (used in fish farming) combines with tiny plastic particles called nanoplastics, the mix causes far more damage to fish than either one alone—harming gut health, triggering liver inflammation, and disrupting the balance of good and bad gut bacteria. This matters because it shows how pollutants can team up to create bigger health problems than expected, raising concerns about how the growing mix of plastics and chemicals in our water might similarly affect other animals—and potentially humans—who are exposed to combinations of contaminants rather than just one at a time.
Abamectin (ABM), a widely used pesticide in aquaculture, may interact with pervasive environmental contaminants like nanoplastics (NPs), potentially altering its toxicity to non-target organisms. This study investigated the synergistic effects and underlying mechanisms of polystyrene NPs and ABM at environmentally relevant concentrations in juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) during a 28-day exposure. Compared to ABM alone, co-exposure with NPs induced significantly greater synergistic toxicity. This was evidenced by exacerbated intestinal barrier dysfunction, including downregulation of tight junction proteins (Occludin, Claudin-23, ZO-1) and a shift in the gut microbiota characterized by the enrichment of potential pathogens, such as Neochlamydia. In the liver, the combined exposure markedly enhanced oxidative stress and inflammatory responses. Untargeted metabolomics further revealed that the co-exposure disturbed fundamental metabolic pathways more profoundly than either contaminant alone, particularly affecting amino acid, carbohydrate, and nucleotide metabolism. Critically, correlation analyses integrated gut microbiota dysbiosis with hepatic metabolic disorders, supporting a pivotal role for gut-liver axis disruption in the synergistic toxicity. Our findings demonstrate that NPs can act as an aggravating factor, significantly potentiating the physiological and toxicological impacts of ABM on fish via interconnected intestinal and hepatic pathways. This study provides crucial mechanistic insights for the risk assessment of pesticide interactions with emerging contaminants in aquatic environments.
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Synergistic Toxicity of PVC Microplastic and Methyl Thiophanate in Common Carp
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Scientists found that when fish were exposed to both plastic particles (from PVC, a common plastic) and a fungicide used on crops, the combination caused significantly more blood damage, organ stress, and tissue injury than either pollutant alone. This matters because our rivers and lakes often contain mixtures of plastic waste and agricultural chemicals together, not just one at a time, and this study suggests these combos could be more harmful to fish (and potentially other animals, including humans who eat fish or drink from these water sources) than we'd expect from studying each pollutant separately.
Title: Co-exposure to polystyrene microplastics and permethrin induces gill injury in Gobiocypris rarus involving oxidative stress and microbiota dysbiosis
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Scientists found that when tiny plastic particles (microplastics) and a common pesticide called permethrin mix together in water, they cause much worse damage to fish gills than either pollutant alone, harming cells, disrupting healthy bacteria, and increasing oxidative stress and cell death. This matters because these pollutants often occur together in real rivers and lakes, meaning wildlife (and potentially humans through the food chain and shared water sources) may face greater combined risks than typically assumed when chemicals are tested individually.
Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Analyses Reveal Intestinal Lipid Metabolic Disturbance in Loaches Co-Exposed to Polystyrene Nanoplastics and Imidacloprid
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Scientists found that when tiny plastic particles (nanoplastics) and a common pesticide (imidacloprid) combine in the guts of fish, they disrupt how the fish process fats—something both pollutants alone did less severely. This matters because these same pollutants show up in our water and food supply, and this study suggests that real-world pollution—where chemicals mix together—could harm health in ways that testing one substance at a time might miss.
Exacerbated interfacial impacts of nanoplastics and 6:2 chlorinated polyfluorinated ether sulfonate by natural organic matter in adult zebrafish: Evidence through histopathology, gut microbiota, and transcriptomic analysis
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In a zebrafish study, nanoplastics combined with a fluorinated chemical pollutant and natural organic matter caused more severe liver and intestinal damage than any single pollutant alone. The mixture triggered greater oxidative stress, gut inflammation, and harmful changes to gut bacteria. This research shows that in the real world, where nanoplastics mix with other pollutants, the combined health effects may be worse than studies of individual chemicals suggest.
Biointerface interactions and mechanistic ecotoxicity of polystyrene micro/nanoplastics and imidacloprid in juvenile Carassius auratus under single and combined exposure
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Scientists found that when fish farmed for food are exposed to both microplastics and a common pesticide together, their gills suffer more damage than from either pollutant alone, including cell death and disrupted waste processing. Since these fish are raised in ponds near farms and end up on dinner tables, this raises concerns about how combined pollution affects the safety and health of our food sources.
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