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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.
The extensive spread of microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) in the aquatic environment has attracted widespread attention. The toxicity of cadmium (Cd) combined with microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) toward freshwater algae Microcystis aeruginosa (M. aeruginosa) was investigated to evaluate the environmental behavior of the Cd complexation in fresh water. Cd alone has the highest toxicity to algae. Both MPs and NPs also have a negative effect on the growth of algae as individual components due to their adsorption of nutrients and disruption of the alga's activity in a single MPs/NPs system. Compared with the single system, the toxicity of compound pollution including MPs + Cd and NPs + Cd becomes stronger, which presents a synergistic effect. In the presence of NPs, more extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) appeared, which helped to reduce the toxic effect on the algal cells. Moreover, MPs/NPs + Cd stimulate the production of microcystin-LR (MC-LR) under different treatments. Overall, the aquatic environmental assessment shows potentially elevated risks associated with combined MPs/NPs with Cd, which should be considered.
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Toxicity Effects of Microplastics and Nanoplastics with Cadmium on the Alga Microcystis Aeruginosa
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This study tested how microplastics and nanoplastics interact with the heavy metal cadmium to affect the growth of a common freshwater algae, finding that combined exposure was more harmful than either contaminant alone. Nanoplastics adsorbed more cadmium per particle but their smaller size enabled them to penetrate algal cells more easily, with complex effects on cellular toxicity.
Interactive Effects of Polyethylene Microplastics and Cadmium on Growth of Microcystis aeruginosa
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Researchers examined what happens when polyethylene microplastics and the heavy metal cadmium are both present in freshwater, focusing on their effects on a bloom-forming algae species. Evidence indicates that the combination caused greater stress on the algae than either pollutant alone, though microplastics partially reduced cadmium toxicity by adsorbing some of the metal.
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.
Single and combined effects of microplastics and lead on the freshwater algae Microcystis aeruginosa
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Researchers tested the individual and combined effects of microplastics and lead (Pb) on the growth, photosynthetic pigments, and antioxidant responses of the freshwater cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa. They found that microplastics alone inhibited growth while low-dose Pb promoted it, but their combination altered toxicity outcomes in complex ways depending on concentration, indicating that co-exposure risks in freshwater cannot be predicted from single-contaminant studies.
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.
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