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Papers
207 resultsShowing papers from University of Messina
ClearIndividual and combined impact of microplastics and lead acetate on the freshwater shrimp (Caridina fossarum): Biochemical effects and physiological responses
Freshwater shrimp exposed to polyethylene microplastics combined with lead showed significantly worse toxic effects than when exposed to either pollutant alone, with microplastics increasing how much lead accumulated in the shrimp's tissues. This demonstrates that microplastics can act as carriers that amplify the toxicity of heavy metals in aquatic food chains, potentially increasing human exposure to dangerous metals through seafood.
Understanding and addressing microplastic pollution: Impacts, mitigation, and future perspectives
This review identifies synthetic textiles (35%) and tire abrasion (28%) as the two largest sources of microplastic pollution, which contaminates both marine and freshwater environments worldwide. When aquatic organisms ingest these particles, they suffer intestinal blockages, metabolic changes, and reduced immunity -- effects that can transfer to humans who consume contaminated seafood.
Environmental toxicology of microplastic particles on fish: A review
This review summarizes how microplastics harm fish through physical damage, inflammation, oxidative stress, immune suppression, genetic damage, and reproductive disruption. These effects matter for human health because toxic substances accumulate and concentrate as they move up the food chain from fish to the people who eat them.
Toxicological assays and metabolomic profiling to evaluate the effects of virgin and aged micro- and nano- polystyrene plastics in SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells
Human neuroblastoma cells exposed to polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics showed oxidative stress, DNA damage, and disrupted energy and amino acid metabolism, with aged and oxidized particles causing the worst effects. Since plastics in the environment are typically weathered rather than fresh, this suggests that real-world nanoplastic exposure may pose greater risks to brain cells than lab studies using pristine particles have indicated.
Potential synergistic effects of microplastics and zinc oxide nanoparticles: biochemical and physiological analysis on Astacus leptodactylus
Researchers exposed crayfish to microplastics and zinc oxide nanoparticles, both alone and combined, and found that the combination caused greater harm than either pollutant on its own, including increased liver stress markers and reduced antioxidant defenses. These findings suggest that microplastics may make other common environmental pollutants more toxic when they occur together in waterways that supply food and drinking water.
Impact of environmental microplastic exposure on HepG2 cells: unraveling proliferation, mitochondrial dynamics and autophagy activation
Lab experiments on human liver cells found that exposure to common microplastics (polyethylene and PET) increased cell growth but also triggered oxidative stress, damaged mitochondria (the cell's energy centers), and activated autophagy -- a process where cells try to clean up internal damage. These findings suggest that microplastics may disrupt normal liver cell function in ways that could have long-term health consequences.
Plastics and their derivatives are impacting animal ecophysiology: A review
This review examines how microplastics interact with marine life through ingestion, entanglement, and chemical leaching, disrupting organisms from plankton to large fish. The paper highlights that plastic pollution in the ocean directly connects to human health through the food chain, as contaminated seafood transfers microplastics and their toxic additives to people who eat it.
Individual and combined effects of microplastics and diphenyl phthalate as plastic additives on male goldfish: A biochemical and physiological investigation
Male goldfish exposed to both microplastics and the plasticizer chemical DPP (diphenyl phthalate) together showed significant liver damage, disrupted fat and sugar metabolism, and hormonal imbalances including decreased testosterone and increased estrogen. The combined exposure was more harmful than either pollutant alone, demonstrating how microplastics and their chemical additives can work together to disrupt the endocrine system.
Polystyrene Micro- and Nanoplastics (PS MNPs): A Review of Recent Advances in the Use of -Omics in PS MNP Toxicity Studies on Aquatic Organisms
This review summarizes recent studies that used advanced molecular analysis techniques (transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics) to understand how polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics harm aquatic organisms at the cellular level. The research reveals that these plastics trigger oxidative stress, disrupt energy metabolism, weaken immune responses, and interfere with nervous system function. These findings in fish and aquatic invertebrates help scientists understand the biological pathways through which microplastics could also affect human health.
Histomorphological Changes in Fish Gut in Response to Prebiotics and Probiotics Treatment to Improve Their Health Status: A Review
This review summarizes how prebiotics and probiotics, beneficial supplements added to fish feed, can improve gut health and disease resistance in farmed fish. A healthy gut microbiome is critical for nutrient absorption and immune defense in fish. While not directly about microplastics, the research is relevant because microplastics are known to disrupt gut bacteria in aquatic organisms, and probiotics may help counteract some of those effects.
The odd couple: Caffeine and microplastics. Morphological and physiological changes in <i>Mytilus galloprovincialis</i>
Scientists exposed Mediterranean mussels to caffeine and microplastics together to mimic real-world water pollution conditions. The combination caused more damage than either pollutant alone, including gill tissue destruction, cell membrane damage, and signs of inflammation. Since mussels are commonly eaten as seafood, these findings raise questions about the safety of shellfish from waters contaminated with both pharmaceutical and plastic pollution.
Metal-Based Nanoparticles: Antibacterial Mechanisms and Biomedical Application
This review examines how metal-based nanoparticles kill bacteria and their potential use as alternatives to antibiotics in medicine. While not about microplastics directly, the antibacterial mechanisms described are relevant because microplastics in the environment can carry both metal nanoparticles and bacteria on their surfaces. Understanding these interactions helps explain how microplastics may influence the spread or suppression of harmful bacteria in the environment.
Single and combined effects of CuSO4 and polyethylene microplastics on biochemical endpoints and physiological impacts on the narrow-clawed crayfish Pontastacus leptodactylus
Researchers exposed freshwater crayfish to polyethylene microplastics and copper sulfate, both alone and together, for 28 days. The combination caused worse effects than either pollutant alone, including liver damage, immune suppression, and increased oxidative stress. This suggests microplastics can amplify the harmful effects of other environmental pollutants in aquatic food sources.
Combined effect of microplastic, salinomycin and heating on Unio tumidus
Researchers studied how microplastics interact with a common veterinary antibiotic and elevated water temperatures to affect freshwater mussels. While microplastics and the antibiotic alone caused mild stress, the combination under warmer conditions dampened the mussels' protective enzyme responses rather than amplifying them. This finding highlights that the effects of microplastics cannot be studied in isolation, as real-world conditions involve multiple stressors that interact in complex and sometimes unexpected ways.
Atherosclerosis and the Bidirectional Relationship between Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease: From Bench to Bedside—Part 1
This review explores the two-way relationship between cancer and cardiovascular disease, focusing on how atherosclerosis (artery-clogging plaque buildup) connects the two conditions through shared risk factors like chronic inflammation. While not directly focused on microplastics, the inflammatory pathways described are relevant because emerging research suggests microplastic exposure may contribute to cardiovascular inflammation, potentially adding to the disease burden discussed in this review.
Reductive stress and cytotoxicity in the swollen river mussel (Unio tumidus) exposed to microplastics and salinomycin
This study exposed freshwater mussels to microplastics and the antibiotic salinomycin, both alone and combined, and found that the mixture caused more severe cellular damage including disrupted antioxidant defenses and signs of programmed cell death. When heat stress was added, the harmful effects became even more unpredictable. The research demonstrates how microplastics can interact with other pollutants and environmental stressors in ways that are difficult to predict.
Physiological response of freshwater crayfish, Astacus leptodactylus exposed to polyethylene microplastics at different temperature
Freshwater crayfish exposed to polyethylene microplastics showed liver stress, disrupted blood chemistry, and weakened immune responses, with higher temperatures making the effects worse. The combination of microplastic exposure and warmer water caused greater damage to antioxidant defenses and enzyme activity than either stressor alone. As climate change raises water temperatures, aquatic organisms may become more vulnerable to microplastic toxicity, which could affect the safety of freshwater species consumed by humans.
Physiological and biochemical responses to caffeine and microplastics in Mytilus galloprovincialis
Researchers exposed Mediterranean mussels to caffeine and microplastics both separately and together to measure their combined effects. The combination caused greater oxidative stress and changes in cell function than either pollutant alone. While focused on mussels, the study is relevant to human health because mussels are widely eaten as seafood and can accumulate both microplastics and chemical contaminants.
Exploring the Impact of Contaminants of Emerging Concern on Fish and Invertebrates Physiology in the Mediterranean Sea
This study examines how emerging pollutants including pharmaceuticals, heavy metals, pesticides, and microplastics affect marine organisms in the Mediterranean Sea. Researchers used catsharks and mussels as indicator species to measure contamination levels and biological effects. The findings are relevant to human health because contaminated seafood from the Mediterranean is widely consumed across Europe.
Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) physiological response to microplastics and enrofloxacin: Novel pathways to investigate microplastic synergistic effects on pharmaceuticals
Scientists studied how microplastics interact with the antibiotic enrofloxacin in rainbow trout and found that the combination increased toxicity beyond what either pollutant caused alone. The microplastics appeared to change how the antibiotic was absorbed and processed in the fish, leading to greater liver damage and immune system disruption. Since fish are exposed to both pollutants in real waterways, this synergistic toxicity could affect seafood safety and the health of people who consume contaminated fish.
Polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs): A Review on metabolic disruptions and potential obesogenic implications using -omics approaches based evidences on zebrafish model
This review summarizes growing evidence that polystyrene microplastics can disrupt fat and energy metabolism in zebrafish, potentially contributing to obesity-like effects. The microplastics altered lipid processing, energy balance, and gut bacteria composition through multiple biological pathways. These findings are relevant to human health because they suggest microplastics could be an overlooked factor in the global rise of obesity and metabolic disorders.
Screening of phthalate and non-phthalate plasticizers and bisphenols in Sicilian women’s blood
Researchers screened blood samples from women in Sicily for plastic additives including phthalates, non-phthalate plasticizers, and bisphenols. Multiple compounds were detected in the blood of most participants, confirming widespread human internal exposure to chemicals that leach from plastics. Since many of these chemicals can act as hormone disruptors, the study underscores the importance of monitoring plastic-derived contaminants in people.
Toxicity assessment of animal manure composts containing environmental microplastics by using earthworms Eisenia andrei
Researchers found microplastics in animal manure compost from both cow and sheep farms, confirming that using manure as fertilizer introduces plastic particles into agricultural soil. When earthworms were exposed to these contaminated composts, they showed signs of oxidative stress and cellular damage. Since manure composting is a widespread farming practice, this represents a significant pathway for microplastics to enter the soil where food crops are grown.
Metabolomic and biochemical disorders reveal the toxicity of environmental microplastics and benzo[a]pyrene in the marine polychaete Hediste diversicolor
This study exposed marine polychaete worms to environmentally realistic concentrations of microplastics and benzo[a]pyrene, a toxic chemical commonly found attached to microplastics. The combination of both pollutants caused more metabolic disruption and biochemical damage than either one alone. Since polychaetes are an important food source for fish, these findings suggest that microplastics carrying toxic chemicals could amplify harm throughout marine food webs.