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Nanoplastic Ingestion Enhances Toxicity of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in the Monogonont Rotifer Brachionus koreanus via Multixenobiotic Resistance (MXR) Disruption
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Researchers found that nanosized plastic beads accumulated more readily in marine rotifers than microsized particles, causing greater oxidative stress and lipid membrane damage. The nanoplastics also disrupted the organisms' multixenobiotic resistance system, which normally helps expel toxic chemicals, thereby enhancing the toxicity of co-occurring persistent organic pollutants.
Among the various materials found inside microplastic pollution, nanosized microplastics are of particular concern due to difficulties in quantification and detection; moreover, they are predicted to be abundant in aquatic environments with stronger toxicity than microsized microplastics. Here, we demonstrated a stronger accumulation of nanosized microbeads in the marine rotifer Brachionus koreanus compared to microsized ones, which was associated with oxidative stress-induced damages on lipid membranes. In addition, multixenobiotic resistance conferred by P-glycoproteins and multidrug resistance proteins, as a first line of membrane defense, was inhibited by nanoplastic pre-exposure, leading to enhanced toxicity of 2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether and triclosan in B. koreanus. Our study provides a molecular mechanistic insight into the toxicity of nanosized microplastics toward aquatic invertebrates and further implies the significance of synergetic effects of microplastics with other environmental persistent organic pollutants.
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Phenotypic and transcriptomic responses of the rotifer Brachionus koreanus by single and combined exposures to nano-sized microplastics and water-accommodated fractions of crude oil
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Researchers exposed marine rotifers to nano-sized polystyrene microplastics combined with crude oil fractions and found that the combination produced synergistic toxic effects on population growth. Single exposure to nanoplastics alone did not cause observable harm, but when combined with oil pollutants, gene expression changes were dramatically amplified, particularly in metabolism and reproduction pathways. The study suggests that nanoplastics can act as carriers that intensify the harmful effects of organic pollutants in marine organisms.
Size-dependent toxicity of nano- and microplastics with zinc oxide nanoparticles in the marine rotifer Brachionus koreanus
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Researchers studied the combined toxic effects of zinc oxide nanoparticles with nano- and microplastics on marine rotifers. They found that the presence of plastic particles increased the toxicity of zinc oxide, with nanoplastics causing more harm than microplastics, and the combined exposure reduced reproduction and population growth. The study demonstrates that microplastics can amplify the harmful effects of other environmental contaminants on small marine organisms.
Metabolism deficiency and oxidative stress induced by plastic particles in the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis: Common and distinct phenotypic and transcriptomic responses to nano- and microplastics
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Researchers found that nanoplastics caused stronger reproductive and population growth inhibition in the marine rotifer Brachionus plicatilis than microplastics, with transcriptomic analysis revealing distinct size-dependent toxicity pathways involving metabolism deficiency and oxidative stress.
Oxidative stress–mediated synergistic deleterious effects of nano- and microplastics in the hypoxia-conditioned marine rotifer Brachionus plicatilis
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Researchers found that co-exposure to nano- and microplastics under low-oxygen conditions produced synergistic harmful effects in marine rotifers across multiple generations, driven by oxidative stress and disruption of the hypoxia-inducible factor pathway.
Combined effects of triclosan and nanoplastics on reproduction performance, population dynamics, and transcriptome regulation of rotifer (Brachionus plicatilis)
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Researchers investigated the individual and combined effects of the antimicrobial chemical triclosan and nanoplastics of varying sizes on rotifer reproduction, population dynamics, and gene expression. They found that high-dose triclosan or very small nanoplastics significantly impaired reproductive output and altered biochemical responses. The study suggests that nanoplastics can enhance the toxicity of co-occurring chemical pollutants in marine organisms.
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