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The effects of combined exposure to nano-plastics and cadmium on Chinese soft-shelled turtle embryo fibroblasts.
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Scientists studying turtle cells found that combining a toxic heavy metal (cadmium) with tiny plastic particles called nanoplastics caused more cell damage and stress than either pollutant alone, even changing how cells' genes behave. While this study was done in turtle cells rather than human cells, it's a reminder that pollutants in water don't act alone, they can interact in ways that may make environmental contamination more harmful than testing one chemical at a time would suggest, which matters since nanoplastics are increasingly found in the water and food humans consume too.
Cadmium (Cd) is a persistent heavy metal pollutant that accumulates in aquatic organisms and poses severe threats to reptiles. Meanwhile, nano-plastics (NPs), as emerging contaminants, have been detected extensively in aquatic environments and can act as carriers for other pollutants. This study employed Chinese soft-shelled turtle embryonic fibroblast (CSSTEF) as an in vitro model to investigate the individual and combined toxicological effects of Cd and NPs. The objectives were to determine the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of Cd in CSSTEF cells, evaluate the cytotoxic interactions between Cd and NPs through multiple endpoints including cell viability, membrane integrity, and oxidative stress biomarkers, and elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms using transcriptomic and model analyses. Our results demonstrated that Cd exhibited concentration-dependent cytotoxicity with an IC50 value of 102.9 μM at 72 h exposure. Both Cd exposure and combined exposure obviously altered cell morphology and exacerbated oxidative stress. Under combined exposure, antagonistic effects were observed on superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase activities (CAT) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), while additive effects were detected on glutathione S-transferase (GST). Transcriptomic analysis revealed significant enrichment of pathways related to glycosaminoglycan biosynthesis and extracellular matrix (ECM) receptor interactions in the Cd and NPs combined exposure group, indicating activated extracellular matrix metabolism and cellular stress responses. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction confirmed the differential expression of key genes involved in these pathways. These findings establish CSSTEF cells as a valuable model for reptilian toxicology research and highlight the necessity of multi-biomarker approaches in assessing the risks of contaminant mixtures in freshwater ecosystems relevant to turtle conservation.
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Toxicological impacts of environmentally equivalent microplastics and cadmium co-exposure in tropical freshwater crab Sartoriana spinigera
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Scientists exposed freshwater crabs to microplastics and cadmium (a toxic metal) to see how these pollutants affect aquatic life, and found that the combination caused more harm than either one alone—damaging the crabs' liver-like organs, gills, and overall health. This matters because microplastics and heavy metals often mix together in real waterways, and this study shows their combined effects on animals we eventually eat may be worse than scientists previously realized when testing pollutants separately.
Effects of chronic co-exposure polystyrene nanoplastics and cadmium on liver function in Prussian carp (Carassius gibelio)
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Researchers exposed Prussian carp to polystyrene nanoplastics and cadmium, both individually and together, for 21 days and found that the combination caused significantly worse liver damage than either pollutant alone. The nanoplastics enhanced cadmium accumulation in the liver and amplified oxidative stress, tissue damage, and immune gene activation. The findings demonstrate that nanoplastics and heavy metals can have synergistic toxic effects on aquatic organisms.
Single and combined effects of polystyrene nanoplastics and Cd on submerged plants Ceratophyllum demersum L.
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Researchers studied the combined effects of nanoplastics and cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, on the aquatic plant Ceratophyllum demersum. They found that nanoplastics worsened cadmium's harmful effects on plant growth, photosynthesis, and cellular health, reducing growth rates by over 35%. The study suggests that when nanoplastics and heavy metals co-occur in water, their combined impact on aquatic plants may be more severe than either pollutant alone.
The combined effects of phenanthrene and micro-/nanoplastics mixtures on the cellular stress responses of the thick-shell mussel Mytilus coruscus
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Scientists exposed thick-shell mussels to a combination of micro- and nanoplastics along with a common pollutant (phenanthrene) to study their combined effects. The mixtures caused more severe immune cell damage, increased oxidative stress, and stronger inflammatory responses than either pollutant alone. Evidence indicates that micro- and nanoplastics can worsen the toxic effects of organic pollutants in marine shellfish.
Combined Effects of Microplastics and Mercury on Growth, Hematology, Tissue Morphology, GH/IGF Axis, and Antioxidant-Immune Responses in Nile Tilapia.
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Scientists found that fish exposed to both microplastics and mercury together—two pollutants increasingly common in waterways—suffered much worse health effects than fish exposed to either one alone, including organ damage, weaker immune function, and stunted growth. This matters because it shows how pollutants can team up to cause more harm than we'd expect from studying them separately, which raises questions about the combined effects of everyday contaminants on the seafood we eat and on our own bodies, since humans are also routinely exposed to both microplastics and trace mercury.
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