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Combinatory effects of microplastics and emerging contaminants on alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
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Researchers exposed the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii to two types of microplastics found in face washes — PVC and an acrylate copolymer — along with the preservative 2-phenoxyethanol, finding that combined exposure had distinct effects on algal growth compared to individual pollutants. This is relevant because microplastics rarely occur alone in the environment, and their interactions with other chemicals can either amplify or dampen ecological harm.
In oceans today, there is much concern about the effects of microplastics (MPs) and other emerging contaminants (ECs). Here, the authors investigated the combinatory effects of the MPs poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) and acrylates/C10–30 alkyl acrylates cross-polymer (AC) (which are commonly found in face wash), together with 2-phenoxyethanol (an EC commonly used in soaps). The model photosynthetic unicellular alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii was used to study the potential of these pollutants to initiate algal blooms. It was shown that AC alone resulted in a greater decline in algal biomass as compared with PVC in the short term (14 days). While algal cultures exposed to PVC registered the highest increase in concentrations of the chlorophyll a pigment, it was the combinatory effects of each MP and 2-phenoxyethanol that were the most pronounced in terms of the large increase in algal biomass and the formation of extracellular polymeric substances. Proliferative growths of C. reinhardtii after prolonged exposure to AC–EC contaminants show potential for initiating algal blooms in aquatic environments. Hence, AC should be considered for regulation of waste water removal into water bodies, and other combinations of MPs and ECs should also be investigated.
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Researchers examined the combined toxicity of nonylphenol and several types of microplastics on the freshwater microalgae Chlorella pyrenoidosa. The study found that microplastics of different polymer types and sizes interacted with nonylphenol in complex ways, affecting algal growth, chlorophyll fluorescence, and antioxidant enzyme activity, demonstrating that co-exposure to microplastics and organic pollutants can produce combined toxic effects.
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Interaction of microplastics and glyphosate: Effects on the freshwater green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
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Scientists tested how tiny plastic beads and the weed-killer glyphosate affect algae — a key building block of aquatic food chains. Surprisingly, glyphosate alone harmed algae growth and health, but when microplastics were present too, they actually softened some of glyphosate's damage, showing that pollutants can interact in unexpected ways rather than simply adding up. This matters because it means predicting real-world environmental (and eventually human) health risks from pollution requires studying chemicals together, not just one at a time.
Higher toxicity induced by co-exposure of polystyrene microplastics and chloramphenicol to Microcystis aeruginosa: Experimental study and molecular dynamics simulation
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Researchers studied what happens when the antibiotic chloramphenicol and polystyrene microplastics are present together in water containing blue-green algae. The study found that the combined exposure was more toxic to the algae than either pollutant alone, disrupting photosynthesis and gene expression. The findings suggest that microplastics and antibiotics may interact in ways that amplify their harmful effects on aquatic ecosystems.
Toxicological Effects of Microplastics and Sulfadiazine on the Microalgae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
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Researchers examined the combined toxicity of polystyrene microplastics and the antibiotic sulfadiazine on the freshwater microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. The results suggest that both substances individually and in combination inhibited algal growth, and the interaction between microplastics and antibiotics may alter their respective toxic effects on aquatic organisms.
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