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Polystyrene nanoplastics alter cadmium toxicity outcomes in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii: Physiological responses and multi-omics insights.
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Researchers studied freshwater algae exposed to both cadmium and polystyrene nanoplastics in the lab. Combined exposure caused more growth problems, oxidative damage and cell structure disruption than cadmium alone, even though cells did not accumulate more cadmium, with gene and metabolite changes pointing to disrupted metal handling, membranes and nutrient processing.
Cadmium (Cd) and micro/nanoplastics frequently coexist in aquatic environments, yet how plastic particles modulate heavy metal toxicity in microalgae remains poorly understood. Here, the freshwater microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii was employed to investigate the interaction between polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NPs) and Cd at physiological, biochemical, ultrastructural, and molecular levels. Among the tested particle sizes, 500 nm PS-NPs exhibited the strongest observed growth inhibition under Cd co-exposure and were therefore selected for subsequent mechanistic investigation. Cd-NPs co-exposure caused pronounced growth inhibition, pigment disturbance, oxidative damage, and chloroplast ultrastructural disruption. Notably, EDTA-resistant cellular Cd accumulation was lower under simultaneous Cd-NPs co-exposure than under Cd exposure alone, indicating that the greater biological impairment observed under co-exposure was not attributable to an increased EDTA-resistant cellular Cd burden. Integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses revealed coordinated disturbances in metal/redox homeostasis, membrane lipid remodeling, pigment metabolism, nitrogen redistribution, and central carbon metabolism. These findings support a model in which NPs modify Cd-associated biological responses without increasing EDTA-resistant cellular Cd retention. This study provides new insights into how nanoplastics may modify metal toxicity outcomes in freshwater microalgae and highlights the potential importance of incorporating organism-level stress responsiveness into ecological risk assessment of emerging aquatic contaminants.
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Enhanced microalgal toxicity due to polystyrene nanoplastics and cadmium co-exposure: From the perspective of physiological and metabolomic profiles
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Researchers studied the combined toxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics and cadmium on the microalga Euglena gracilis and found that co-exposure produced synergistic effects, inhibiting growth by nearly 29%. The organisms activated antioxidant defenses and showed significant disruptions in carbohydrate, lipid, and amino acid metabolism. The findings suggest that nanoplastics and heavy metals together pose greater risks to aquatic microorganisms than either pollutant alone.
Nanoplastics increase algal absorption and toxicity of Cd through alterations in cell wall structure and composition
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Lab experiments showed that polystyrene nanoplastics made freshwater algae more vulnerable to cadmium (a toxic heavy metal) by altering the structure of their cell walls, allowing more cadmium to enter the cells. This matters for human health because nanoplastics in waterways may increase how much toxic metal accumulates in aquatic food chains that eventually reach our plates.
Toxicity effects of microplastics and nanoplastics with cadmium on the alga Microcystis aeruginosa
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Researchers examined the combined toxicity of microplastics, nanoplastics, and cadmium on the freshwater alga Microcystis aeruginosa. The study found that while cadmium alone was most toxic, the combination of plastics and cadmium produced synergistic harmful effects, with nanoplastics causing greater cadmium release and more severe disruption to algal cell membranes than microplastics.
Polystyrene nanoplastics distinctly impact cadmium uptake and toxicity in Arabidopsis thaliana
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In a study using the model plant Arabidopsis, polystyrene nanoplastics increased the uptake and accumulation of the toxic heavy metal cadmium in plant roots. The combined stress of nanoplastics and cadmium caused worse oxidative damage and growth problems than either pollutant alone. This is concerning because it means microplastics in agricultural soil could help toxic metals get into crops more easily, potentially increasing human exposure through food.
Micro-/nano-plastics as vectors of heavy metals and stress response of ciliates using transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses
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This study examined how polystyrene microplastics and nanoplastics interact with cadmium to affect single-celled marine organisms called ciliates. The combined exposure was more toxic than either pollutant alone, disrupting the organisms' metabolism and stress responses at the genetic level. The findings demonstrate that microplastics can make heavy metal pollution worse by carrying metals into cells, a concern for marine food web contamination that could ultimately affect seafood safety.
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