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Different Toxic Effects of Polystyrene Microplastics and Nanoplastics on Caenorhabditis elegans
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Researchers compared the toxicity of 2-μm polystyrene microplastics and 0.1-μm nanoplastics in C. elegans, finding both impaired growth, locomotion, reproduction, and lifespan at 1 mg/L and above, with microplastics causing greater locomotion and reproductive toxicity and nanoplastics inducing stronger oxidative stress.
Exposure to polystyrene microplastics/nanoplastics (PS-MPs/NPs) may induce severe toxic effects in organisms. This study compared the toxicity of 2-μm PS-MPs and 0.1-μm PS-NPs by using Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) as the experimental model. The ingestion of both particles increased with increasing exposure concentration. PS-MPs were taken up more at 0.1, 1, and 10 mg/L, while PS-NPs were ingested more at 100 mg/L. At concentrations ≥ 1 mg/L, both PS-MPs and PS-NPs negatively affected the growth, locomotion, lifespan, and reproduction of C. elegans and induced oxidative stress. At concentrations of 10-100 mg/L, PS-MPs caused greater toxicity in terms of locomotion, reproduction, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) induction. Notably, the PS-MPs/NPs ingested by the parental generation were not transmitted to offspring. This study showed the distinct toxicological impacts of PS-MPs and PS-NPs on C. elegans, hence enhancing comprehension of the risks to the environment posed by MPs/NPs.
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Polystyrene (nano)microplastics cause size-dependent neurotoxicity, oxidative damage and other adverse effects inCaenorhabditis elegans
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Researchers found that polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics cause neurotoxicity and oxidative damage in the model organism C. elegans, with effects varying by particle size. Smaller nanoscale particles tended to cause more severe toxic responses than larger microplastic particles. The study highlights that the size of plastic particles is an important factor in determining how harmful they are to living organisms.
The toxic differentiation of micro- and nanoplastics verified by gene-edited fluorescent Caenorhabditis elegans
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Researchers used gene-edited fluorescent C. elegans to demonstrate that nanoplastic toxicity is size- and charge-dependent, with 100 nm positively charged polystyrene particles causing the greatest harm through intestinal accumulation and oxidative stress.
Potential toxicity of nanopolystyrene on lifespan and aging process of nematode Caenorhabditis elegans
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Researchers chronically exposed C. elegans to nanopolystyrene across their aging lifespan and found that high concentrations shortened lifespan while lower concentrations still impaired locomotion and elevated intestinal reactive oxygen species in older animals, with nanoplastic exposure progressively suppressing immune genes, antioxidant defenses, and mitochondrial stress responses as worms aged.
Uptake of nanopolystyrene particles induces distinct metabolic profiles and toxic effects in Caenorhabditis elegans
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Researchers exposed the nematode C. elegans to 50 nm and 200 nm nanopolystyrene particles and used metabolomics to show that particles disrupt energy metabolism — reducing TCA cycle intermediates and altering glucose and lactate — while also decreasing locomotion, reproduction, and inducing oxidative stress.
Biochemical and physiological effects of multigenerational exposure to spheric polystyrene microplastics in Caenorhabditis elegans
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Researchers found that multigenerational exposure of C. elegans to polystyrene microplastics at low concentrations triggered oxidative stress, increased detoxification enzyme activity, and caused accumulating physiological effects across five consecutive generations.
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