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Polystyrene microplastics reduce the food chain transfer and toxicity of TiO2 nanoparticles in crustacean Artemia salina through dietary exposure of microalga Chlorella sp.: impact of visible light and ultraviolet-A radiation.
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Scientists studying ocean food chains found that when tiny plastic particles (microplastics) mix with titanium dioxide nanoparticles, a common ingredient in sunscreen and food coloring, the plastic actually reduced how much of the nanoparticles built up in algae and tiny shrimp-like creatures, along with lessening the harmful effects like cell damage and nervous system disruption. While this is early lab research in marine organisms rather than humans, it's a reminder that pollutants don't act alone in the real world, how different contaminants interact, and even how much sunlight is present, can change their toxicity in ways we're still
Microplastics and nanoparticles are emerging contaminants in the marine system. Although UV-A radiation is environmentally relevant, most ecotoxicity studies overlook its role in modulating contaminant toxicity. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the trophic transfer potential of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO-NPs) in the absence and presence of amine (NH MPs) and carboxyl (COOH MPs) functionalized polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs) under both visible-light and UV-A radiation. The experiments were performed using marine microalgae sp. and marine crustacean , representing the producer-consumer food chain. Bio-uptake of Ti in sp. was higher under UV-A treatment than under visible-light illumination. Bio-uptake of Ti in sp. was higher in the absence of PS-MPs. A comparable pattern was observed in the bio-uptake of Ti in following dietary exposure. Consequently, fed with microalgae pre-treated with TiO-NPs reduces survival, enhances oxidative stress, and alters neurotransmitter activity. In contrast, in the presence of PS-MPs, these detrimental effects exhibited by TiO-NPs were reduced. studies with acetylcholinesterase provided complementary mechanistic insights into the observed neurotoxicity. Under both light treatments, the biomagnification factor for TiO-NPs and TiO-NPs + PS-MPs was < 1, indicating no biomagnification from sp. to . Risk quotient analysis revealed the higher ecological risk posed by the TiO-NPs. Pearson correlation and the cluster heatmap revealed that oxidative stress and altered neurotransmitter activity may have impaired survival. Overall, this study shows how light and microplastics modulate the trophic transfer potential and toxicity of TiO-NPs in marine organisms.
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The comparative effects of visible light and UV-A radiation on the combined toxicity of P25 TiO2 nanoparticles and polystyrene microplastics on Chlorella sp.
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Scientists studied how titanium dioxide nanoparticles and polystyrene microplastics together affect green algae under visible light versus UV-A radiation. UV-A light made titanium dioxide more toxic on its own, but when combined with microplastics, the mixture actually reduced toxicity because the plastics absorbed some of the reactive chemicals generated by UV exposure. The findings suggest that light conditions significantly change how multiple pollutants interact in marine environments.
Impact of UVA and visible light conditions in modulating the toxicity of binary mixture of polystyrene micro plastics and TiO2 nanoparticles in brine shrimp (Artemia salina)
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Researchers investigated how UVA and visible light conditions affect the combined toxicity of polystyrene microplastics and titanium dioxide nanoparticles in brine shrimp. They found that binary mixtures were more toxic than microplastics alone, with UVA irradiation enhancing oxidative stress and neurotoxicity from the nanoparticles. The study suggests that light conditions in marine environments can significantly modulate how microplastics and nanoparticles interact to harm aquatic organisms.
The Comparative Effects of Visible Light and UV-A Radiation on the Combined Toxicity of P25 TiO2 Nanoparticles and Polystyrene Microplastics on Chlorella sp
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This study found that TiO2 nanoparticles and polystyrene microplastics together are more toxic to marine microalgae than either pollutant alone, and that UV-A radiation makes the combined toxicity significantly worse than under ordinary visible light. TiO2 generates reactive oxygen species under UV-A that damage algal cells, with microplastics amplifying the oxidative stress. Because TiO2 nanoparticles and microplastics co-occur in surface waters where UV light is abundant, this interaction could pose a greater threat to marine photosynthetic organisms than studies conducted under standard lab lighting would suggest.
Polystyrene nanoplastics diminish the toxic effects of Nano-TiO2 in marine algae Chlorella sp.
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Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics reduced the toxic effects of nano-titanium dioxide on marine algae by forming larger aggregates that decreased the bioavailability of both particle types. The combined exposure led to lower oxidative stress and reduced cellular damage compared to nano-titanium dioxide alone. The study demonstrates that interactions between different types of nanoparticles in marine environments can produce antagonistic effects that alter their individual toxicity profiles.
Toxicity evaluation of nano-TiO2 in the presence of functionalized microplastics at two trophic levels: Algae and crustaceans
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Researchers examined how different surface-functionalized polystyrene microplastics affect the toxicity of titanium dioxide nanoparticles across two trophic levels, using algae and brine shrimp. They found that aminated and plain microplastics enhanced nano-TiO2 toxicity to algae, while carboxylated microplastics reduced it. Direct aqueous exposure caused greater toxicity in brine shrimp than dietary exposure, suggesting that the route of exposure significantly influences combined contaminant effects.
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