Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Ingestion and digestion by the freshwater snail Pomacea canaliculata drive microplastic surface transformations and virus-mediated plastisphere functional shifts

Researchers exposed freshwater apple snails to polystyrene and expanded polystyrene microplastics, finding that snail digestion deformed EPS particles and induced surface oxidation of both plastic types, while also altering plastisphere virus and bacterial communities and affecting antibiotic resistance patterns.

2025 Water Research
Article Tier 2

Pomacea canaliculata alters the composition, diversity, function, and assembly of bacterial community in freshwater plastisphere, shifting it closer to gut microbiota

Researchers studied how the invasive apple snail affects microbial communities living on microplastic surfaces in freshwater environments. They found that snails actively ingested microplastics and significantly altered the bacterial communities on the plastic surfaces, shifting them to resemble the snails' own gut bacteria and increasing the presence of antibiotic resistance genes. The study reveals that aquatic animals can reshape the microbial ecosystems on microplastics in ways that may spread harmful bacteria and resistance traits.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Adaptive response of triploid Fujian oyster (Crassostrea angulata) to nanoplastic stress: Insights from physiological, metabolomic, and microbial community analyses

Researchers exposed triploid Fujian oysters to nanoplastics for 14 days and studied their physiological, metabolic, and microbial responses. They found that the oysters showed strong adaptive capacity, adjusting their metabolism and gut microbial communities to cope with nanoplastic stress. The study provides important insights into how shellfish respond to increasing nanoplastic pollution in ocean environments.

2023 Chemosphere 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Metabolic equilibrium and reproductive resilience: Freshwater gastropods under nanoplastics exposure

Researchers exposed freshwater snails to nanoplastics of two different sizes and found concentration-dependent effects on body condition and bioaccumulation, with larger particles accumulating more in tissues. While carbohydrate and protein reserves remained largely stable, lipid metabolism and mitochondrial function were affected at certain exposures. Despite these metabolic shifts, the snails maintained overall energy balance, suggesting some resilience to nanoplastic stress over the 21-day study period.

2023 Chemosphere 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Dietary consumption of polypropylene microplastics alter the biochemical parameters and histological response in freshwater benthic mollusc Pomacea paludosa

Researchers exposed freshwater snails (Pomacea paludosa) to polypropylene microplastics through their diet at three concentrations over 28 days and measured biochemical and tissue-level responses. They found significant changes in antioxidant enzyme activity and histological damage in the digestive gland, with effects worsening at higher concentrations. The study suggests that dietary microplastic exposure can cause oxidative stress and organ damage in freshwater benthic organisms.

2022 Environmental Research 59 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastics induce gut microbiome and metabolome changes in Javanese medaka fish (Oryzias javanicus Bleeker, 1854)

Researchers found that polystyrene microplastic exposure altered gut microbiome composition and metabolic profiles in Javanese medaka fish, with effects on amino acid and lipid metabolism pathways suggesting microplastics can disrupt gut health in aquatic organisms.

2022 Toxicology Reports 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Impacts of PVC microplastic ingestion on Biomphalaria alexandrina: behavioral, physiological, and histological responses

Researchers exposed the freshwater snail Biomphalaria alexandrina to PVC microplastics and measured behavioral, physiological, and histological outcomes. They found concentration-dependent harm including reduced feeding and survival, oxidative stress, and damage to digestive glands.

2025 Hydrobiologia
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastics induce molecular toxicity in Simocephalus vetulus: A transcriptome and intestinal microorganism analysis

Researchers exposed a freshwater crustacean to polystyrene nanoplastics and found widespread molecular-level damage, including oxidative stress, disrupted energy metabolism, and signs of neurotoxicity. The nanoplastics also significantly altered the animals' gut microbiome, increasing harmful bacteria and weakening intestinal barrier function. The study provides a detailed picture of how plastic pollution can affect freshwater organisms at the cellular and genetic level.

2024 Aquatic Toxicology 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Polyethylene Microplastics Affected Survival Rate, Food Intake and Altered Oxidative Stress Parameters in Freshwater Snail Indoplanorbis exustus

Researchers exposed freshwater snails to various concentrations of low-density polyethylene microplastics and measured the effects on survival and physiology. The study found significant increases in oxidative stress markers and lipid peroxidation, along with reduced food intake and body weight, at higher concentrations. Evidence indicates that microplastics cause broad physiological impairment in freshwater invertebrates, and affected snails failed to recover even after exposure ended.

2023 Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics induce intestinal inflammation, oxidative stress, and disorders of metabolome and microbiome in zebrafish

Researchers exposed zebrafish to polystyrene microplastics for 21 days and found significant intestinal inflammation, oxidative stress, and disruption of both the gut microbiome and metabolic processes. The microplastics altered the balance of beneficial and harmful gut bacteria and changed the levels of key metabolites involved in energy and amino acid metabolism. The study provides detailed evidence that microplastic ingestion can cause widespread disruption to gut health in aquatic organisms.

2019 The Science of The Total Environment 898 citations
Article Tier 2

Habitual feeding patterns impact polystyrene microplastic abundance and potential toxicity in edible benthic mollusks

This study examined how different feeding strategies in edible mollusks affect how many microplastics they accumulate and how toxic the effects are. Researchers found that deposit-feeding snails and filter-feeding clams accumulated microplastics differently, with distinct impacts on digestive enzymes, oxidative stress, and neurotoxicity markers. The findings suggest that a shellfish species' feeding behavior directly influences the microplastic contamination risk for both the animal and human consumers.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastics alter the intestinal microbiota function and the hepatic metabolism status in marine medaka (Oryzias melastigma)

Researchers fed marine medaka fish polystyrene microplastics of two sizes for 28 days and examined effects on gut microbiota and liver metabolism. They found that microplastic exposure significantly altered the functional composition of gut bacteria and disrupted hepatic metabolic pathways, even without causing visible tissue damage. The study suggests that microplastics can affect fish health through subtle microbiome and metabolic changes that precede obvious physical harm.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 129 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastics induce gut microbiota dysbiosis and hepatic lipid metabolism disorder in mice

Researchers fed mice two sizes of polystyrene microplastics for five weeks and observed significant disruption of gut bacteria and changes in liver fat metabolism. The microplastics decreased mucus production in the gut and shifted the balance of key bacterial populations at multiple taxonomic levels. The study suggests that microplastic ingestion can trigger gut microbiota imbalance in mammals, which may in turn affect metabolic health.

2018 The Science of The Total Environment 966 citations
Article Tier 2

Low pH aggravates the toxicity of polystyrene microplastics in crab Eriocheir sinensis: Evidence from metabolome and intestinal microflora

Researchers found that combining acidic water (low pH) with polystyrene microplastics caused worse harm to Chinese mitten crabs than either stressor alone, disrupting their immune system, energy metabolism, and gut bacteria. The findings highlight that climate change-driven water acidification could amplify the toxicity of microplastics in freshwater wildlife.

2025 Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology 1 citations
Article Tier 2

[Accumulation and Clearance of Polystyrene Microplastics in Brine Shrimp and the Responses of Microbiome and Metabolism].

Researchers exposed brine shrimp (Artemia salina) to polystyrene microplastics of different sizes and concentrations under varying nutritional conditions and analyzed microbiome and metabolic responses. Accumulation and clearance were concentration-dependent, while nutritional status modulated MP uptake; combined microbiome and metabolomics analysis revealed disruptions in microbial community composition and metabolic function.

2025 PubMed
Article Tier 2

Unveiling the effects of polyethylene microplastic on the physiological responses across different size classes of Telescopium telescopium

Researchers exposed mangrove horn snails of two different size classes to environmentally relevant concentrations of polyethylene microplastics for 21 days and measured their energy balance and stress responses. They found that both small and large snails experienced negative energy balance and increased oxidative stress at medium and high microplastic concentrations. The study suggests that microplastic pollution in estuarine environments may threaten the survival of organisms across different life stages.

2025 Marine Pollution Bulletin 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessment of the Effects of Environmental Concentrations of Microplastics on the Aquatic Snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum

Researchers examined the effects of environmentally relevant microplastic concentrations on the freshwater snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum, assessing impacts on this benthic invertebrate in an understudied freshwater ecosystem context.

2021 Water Air & Soil Pollution 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Impacts of polystyrene microplastic on the gut barrier, microbiota and metabolism of mice

Researchers exposed mice to polystyrene microplastics for six weeks and found that the particles accumulated in the gut, reduced protective mucus secretion, and damaged the intestinal barrier. The microplastics also significantly altered the composition of gut bacteria, decreasing beneficial species and increasing harmful ones. The study suggests that microplastic ingestion could disrupt gut health in mammals by simultaneously impairing the physical barrier and reshaping the microbiome.

2018 The Science of The Total Environment 986 citations
Article Tier 2

Environmental and Sublethal Concentrations of Polystyrene Nanoplastics Induced Antioxidant System, Transcriptomic Responses, and Disturbed Gut Microbiota in Oyster Magallana Hongkongensis

Researchers exposed Hong Kong oysters to polystyrene nanoplastics at both environmentally realistic and higher concentrations. Even at the lower, real-world concentrations, the nanoplastics significantly altered the oysters' gut bacteria and gene expression patterns, while higher doses also triggered immune and antioxidant stress responses, raising concerns about food safety and ecosystem health.

2024 Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessment of oxidative stress, neurotoxicity, genotoxicity and prey-predator interactions in freshwater snails exposed to microplastics

This conference abstract investigates oxidative stress, nerve damage, DNA damage, and changes in predator-prey behavior in freshwater snails exposed to microplastics, pointing to a broad range of harmful biological effects. Understanding these impacts in aquatic invertebrates matters because they occupy important ecological roles and their exposure to microplastics can have cascading effects through food webs.

2023 Endocrine Abstracts
Article Tier 2

Three-dimensional synergistic mechanism ofphysical injury, microbiota dysbiosis, and gene transfer in the gut of Cipangopaludina cathayensisunder microplastics and roxithromycin exposure

Researchers exposed freshwater snails to polystyrene microplastics, the antibiotic roxithromycin, and their combination to study effects on gut health. They found that co-exposure caused severe intestinal damage, disrupted gut microbiota, and dramatically increased antibiotic resistance gene levels by over 1000 percent. The study reveals a three-way mechanism of physical injury, microbial disruption, and gene transfer that amplifies ecological risks from combined pollutants.

2025 Journal of Environmental Management 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Impacts of microplastics exposure on mussel (Mytilus edulis) gut microbiota

Researchers exposed marine mussels (Mytilus edulis) to microplastics and analyzed changes to their gut microbiota, finding significant shifts in microbial community composition that could affect digestion, immunity, and overall health.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 111 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of a chronic waterborne exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics on the gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata): Combining traditional and multi-omics approaches

Researchers exposed gilthead seabream to environmentally relevant and elevated polystyrene nanoplastic concentrations for 28 days, finding no visible tissue damage or blood abnormalities but significant shifts in gut microbiome diversity and dose-dependent changes in plasma metabolites linked to energy metabolism, suggesting subtle long-term risks for aquaculture production.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxicology Effects of Cadmium in Pomacea canaliculate: Accumulation, Oxidative Stress, Microbial Community, and Transcriptome Analysis

Researchers studied how cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, accumulates in apple snails, finding the liver absorbed the highest concentrations and that antioxidant defenses remained damaged even after the cadmium exposure ended. While focused on cadmium rather than microplastics, the study is relevant because microplastics are known to absorb and transport cadmium in aquatic environments. This means microplastics could increase cadmium delivery to freshwater organisms and, through the food chain, to humans.

2025 International Journal of Molecular Sciences 6 citations