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Human Health Effects
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When microplastics meet microalgae: Unveiling the dynamic formation of aggregates and their impact on toxicity and environmental health
Water Research2024
20 citations
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Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count.
Score: 65
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0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
Yuanyuan Su,
Yuanyuan Su,
Yuanyuan Su,
Yuanyuan Su,
Liu Gao,
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Liu Gao,
Liu Gao,
Liu Gao,
Liu Gao,
Liu Gao,
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Liu Gao,
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Liu Gao,
Liu Gao,
Liu Gao,
Liu Gao,
Liu Gao,
Liu Gao,
Liu Gao,
Liu Gao,
Liu Gao,
Liu Gao,
Ruiqi Bao,
Ruiqi Bao,
Ruiqi Bao,
Ruiqi Bao,
Ruiqi Bao,
Licheng Peng
Liu Gao,
Yuanyuan Su,
Yuanyuan Su,
Yuanyuan Su,
Yuanyuan Su,
Yuanyuan Su,
Yuanyuan Su,
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Liu Gao,
Licheng Peng
Licheng Peng
Liu Gao,
Xiaoping Diao,
Yuanyuan Su,
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Liu Gao,
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Liu Gao,
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Yuanyuan Su,
Yuanyuan Su,
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Yuanyuan Su,
Licheng Peng
Licheng Peng
Licheng Peng
Xiaoping Diao,
Licheng Peng
Licheng Peng
Licheng Peng
Licheng Peng
Licheng Peng
Liu Gao,
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Yuanyuan Su,
Xiaoping Diao,
Xiaoping Diao,
Licheng Peng
Licheng Peng
Licheng Peng
Liu Gao,
Xiaoping Diao,
Xiaoping Diao,
Xiaoping Diao,
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Xiaoping Diao,
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Licheng Peng
Yuanyuan Su,
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Licheng Peng
Licheng Peng
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Ruiqi Bao,
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Xiaoping Diao,
Licheng Peng
Xiaoping Diao,
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Xiaoping Diao,
Liu Gao,
Licheng Peng
Licheng Peng
Liu Gao,
Yuanyuan Su,
Xiaoping Diao,
Liu Gao,
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Xiaoping Diao,
Xiaoping Diao,
Liu Gao,
Liu Gao,
Ruiqi Bao,
Ruiqi Bao,
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Licheng Peng
Liu Gao,
Xiaoping Diao,
Licheng Peng
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Licheng Peng
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Licheng Peng
Xiaoping Diao,
Xiaoping Diao,
Licheng Peng
Licheng Peng
Licheng Peng
Licheng Peng
Licheng Peng
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Licheng Peng
Liu Gao,
Licheng Peng
Ruiqi Bao,
Ruiqi Bao,
Yumeng Zhang,
Yumeng Zhang,
Liu Gao,
Xiaoping Diao,
Yuanyuan Su,
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Xiaoping Diao,
Xiaoping Diao,
Licheng Peng
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Xiaoping Diao,
Xiaoping Diao,
Ruiqi Bao,
Xiaoping Diao,
Liu Gao,
Licheng Peng
Ruiqi Bao,
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Xiaoping Diao,
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Ruiqi Bao,
Liu Gao,
Licheng Peng
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Xiaoping Diao,
Ruiqi Bao,
Yuanyuan Su,
Xiaoping Diao,
Licheng Peng
Ruiqi Bao,
Yuanyuan Su,
Xiaoping Diao,
Xiaoping Diao,
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Licheng Peng
Xiaoping Diao,
Licheng Peng
Licheng Peng
Yuanyuan Su,
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Yuanyuan Su,
Licheng Peng
Licheng Peng
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Licheng Peng
Licheng Peng
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Elvis Genbo Xu,
Licheng Peng
Summary
Researchers studied what happens when microplastics and algae meet in water, finding that algae colonize plastic surfaces and form clumps that absorb more toxic metals like copper than bare microplastics alone. This matters for human health because these microplastic-algae clumps can concentrate pollutants in aquatic food chains that eventually lead to the seafood on our plates.
Microplastics (MPs) commonly coexist with microalgae in aquatic environments, can heteroaggregate during their interaction, and potentially affect the migration and impacts of MPs in aquatic environments. The hetero-aggregation may also influence the fate of other pollutants through MPs' adsorption or alter their aquatic toxicity. Here, we explored the hetero-aggregation process and its key driving mechanism that occurred between green microalga Chlorella vulgaris (with a cell size of 2-10 μm) and two types of MPs (polystyrene and polylactide, 613 μm). Furthermore, we investigated the environmental impacts of the microplastics-microalgae aggregates (MPs-microalgae aggregates) by comparing their adsorption of Cu(II) with that of pristine MPs and evaluating the effects of hetero-aggregation on MPs aging and their toxicity to microalgae. Our results indicated that microalgal colonization occurred on the surface of MPs, possibly through electrostatic interactions, hole-filling, hydrophilic interactions, and algae-bacteria symbiosis. The hetero-aggregation led to a stronger Cu(II) adsorption by MPs-microalgae aggregates than pristine MPs due to electrostatic interactions, coordination, complexation, and ion exchange. Exposure to either MPs (pristine or aged) or Cu(II) inhibited the cell growth of C. vulgaris, while the integrated biomarker response (IBR) showed more pronounced inhibitory effects resulting from aged MPs compared to pristine MPs and an antagonistic effect on microalgae was caused by the co-exposure to MPs and Cu(II). These findings suggest that the hetero-aggregation of MPs and microalgae may alter their environmental fates and co-pollutant toxicity.