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20 resultsShowing papers similar to The trojan horse in agricultural water: How microbe-mediated interactions of nanoplastics and flame retardants drive multiscale toxicity and seed transmission in rye
ClearCarrier effects of microplastics in a hydroponic system: Amplifying diethyl phthalate toxicity and endophytic dysbiosis in Rye (Secale cereale L.) with implications for aquatic ecosystems
Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics and diethyl phthalate (a common plasticizer) interact synergistically to cause severe toxicity in hydroponically grown rye, far exceeding the damage from either pollutant alone. The study revealed a bidirectional mechanism where microplastics adsorb the plasticizer while the plasticizer enhances microplastic uptake by roots, leading to photosynthetic collapse and disrupted endophytic microbial communities.
Dynamics of accumulation and multilevel biological effects of various alkyl chain phthalates and microplastics in rye: New insights into individual, physiological, and molecular perspectives
Researchers studied the combined toxicity of three phthalate esters with different alkyl chain lengths and polystyrene microplastics on rye plants, finding that MP presence amplified the phytotoxicity of longer-chain phthalates. The results demonstrate that microplastics can act as carriers that enhance the uptake and toxicity of co-occurring chemical contaminants in crops.
Looking into the effects of co-contamination by micro(nano)plastics in the presence of other pollutants on irrigated edible plants
This review examines the combined effects of micro- and nanoplastics with other pollutants found in treated wastewater used for crop irrigation. Researchers analyzed 19 studies and found that the joint exposure to plastics and contaminants like heavy metals or pesticides often produced different toxicity outcomes than either pollutant alone. The findings suggest that using reclaimed wastewater for irrigation may expose food crops to complex mixtures of pollutants whose combined effects are still poorly understood.
Toxicity orchestrated by alkyl chain length of plasticizers and exposure time: Transfer mechanisms of microplastic-plasticizer co-contamination across the full life cycle of rye
Researchers studied how polystyrene microplastics combined with phthalate plasticizers of different chain lengths affect rye plants through both short-term and long-term experiments. Short-chain phthalates caused the strongest toxicity in hydroponic conditions, while long-chain DEHP combined with microplastics produced the greatest long-term damage, reducing grain weight by 38% and causing microplastic accumulation in seeds.
Micro/nanoplastics: Critical review of their impacts on plants, interactions with other contaminants (antibiotics, heavy metals, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), and management strategies
This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics harm plants, both alone and in combination with other pollutants like antibiotics, heavy metals, and hydrocarbons. The combined exposure often worsens the damage, including inhibited growth, reduced seed germination, and genetic toxicity. The review also explores strategies to reduce this plant damage, which matters for food safety since contaminated crops are a route for microplastics to reach humans.
The combined toxicity of polystyrene microplastic and arsenate: From the view of biochemical process in wheat seedlings (Triticum aestivum L.)
Researchers found that when wheat seedlings were exposed to both arsenic and polystyrene microplastics together, the microplastics reduced arsenic uptake in roots but dramatically increased arsenic transport to the above-ground parts of the plant — by up to 1,000%. This combined exposure caused more oxidative stress and damage to the plants' photosynthetic systems than arsenic alone. The findings suggest that microplastics in contaminated soil could increase how much toxic metal ends up in the edible parts of crops.
Combined interactions and ecotoxicological effects of micro/nanoplastics and organic pollutants in soil–plant systems: a critical overview
This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics interact with organic pollutants in soil-plant systems. The study highlights that these plastic particles can act synergistically with organic pollutants in terrestrial ecosystems, posing combined threats to soil and plant health that warrant further investigation.
Assessing the chemical interactions and biological effects of a petrochemical and bio-based plastic with a common plastic flame retardant and solvent
Researchers assessed the combined chemical interactions and biological effects when organisms were exposed to both petrochemical and agricultural contaminants simultaneously. Mixture effects were often greater than predicted by individual chemical toxicity, highlighting the importance of studying realistic multi-contaminant exposures.
Nanoplastics enhance tebuconazole toxicity in lettuce by promoting its accumulation and disrupting phenylalanine metabolism: Importance of Trojan horse effect
Researchers demonstrated that nanoplastics act as a 'Trojan horse' for the fungicide tebuconazole in lettuce roots — the particles adsorb the pesticide, carry it into plant tissue, then release it intracellularly, increasing residue levels sevenfold and amplifying disruption of plant hormone and antioxidant pathways.
Novel insights into the joint phytotoxicity of nanoplastics and silver ions at environmentally relevant concentrations: a dual aggregation-induced emission bioimaging approach
Researchers used a novel bioimaging technique to investigate how nanoplastics and silver ions together affect plant health at environmentally realistic concentrations. They found that nanoplastics can carry silver ions and deliver them to plant tissues, amplifying the combined toxic effects. The study provides new visual evidence of how nanoplastics act as carriers for heavy metal pollutants, worsening their impact on aquatic organisms.
Revealing the bioavailability and phytotoxicity of different particle size microplastics on diethyl phthalate (DEP) in rye (Secale cereale L.)
Researchers studied how microplastics of different sizes interact with a common plasticizer chemical (DEP) in rye plants. Smaller nanoplastics were able to enter and move through the plant, disrupting leaf cells, while the plasticizer chemical increased the plant's uptake of nanoplastics. This suggests that microplastics and the chemicals they carry can work together to contaminate food crops, with smaller particles posing the greatest risk.
Mechanistic insight into the intensification of arsenic toxicity to rice (Oryza sativa L.) by nanoplastic: Phytohormone and glutathione metabolism modulation
Nanoplastics at environmentally realistic levels did not harm rice plants on their own, but when combined with arsenic they made arsenic toxicity significantly worse, reducing plant growth by up to 23%. The nanoplastics increased arsenic uptake by disrupting plant hormones and weakening the plant's natural detoxification systems. This is concerning because rice is a staple food for billions of people, and agricultural soils increasingly contain both nanoplastics and heavy metals.
Unveiling the mechanism of micro-and-nano plastic phytotoxicity on terrestrial plants: A comprehensive review of omics approaches.
This comprehensive review examined how micro-and-nano plastics (MNPs) in terrestrial soils damage plant health by inhibiting water and nutrient uptake, reducing seed germination, impairing photosynthesis, and inducing oxidative stress. The review identified key knowledge gaps in understanding MNP phytotoxicity mechanisms and their implications for food security.
Nanoplastic–plant interaction and implications for soil health
This review summarizes research on how nanoplastics interact with plants in soil environments, finding that these tiny particles can be taken up by roots and transported to all plant organs, including edible parts like grain. Researchers found that nanoplastics induce oxidative stress in plants, inhibiting photosynthesis and growth, and can also carry other soil pollutants into plant tissues. The study highlights significant concerns about nanoplastic contamination entering the food chain through agricultural crops.
The interfacial interaction between Dechlorane Plus (DP) and polystyrene nanoplastics (PSNPs): An overlooked influence factor for the algal toxicity of PSNPs
Researchers investigated how a flame retardant chemical called Dechlorane Plus interacts with polystyrene nanoplastics and found that the two pollutants bind together and become more harmful to algae than either one alone. When exposed to both contaminants simultaneously, algae showed reduced photosynthesis, greater growth inhibition, and significantly increased oxidative damage. The study suggests that the combined effects of nanoplastics and their chemical additives pose greater environmental risks than previously recognized.
Synergistic Uptake of Nanoplastics and Sodium Chloride in Tall Fescue Roots Mediated by Cell Wall Architecture
Researchers found that combining nanoplastic exposure with salt stress in tall fescue grass produced synergistic harmful effects far exceeding those of either stressor alone, reducing shoot length by 93% and root length by 79%. Charge-mediated interactions between nanoplastics and sodium ions enhanced the uptake of both contaminants into plant tissues. Nanoplastics altered genes related to cell wall structure and membrane permeability, compromising the plant's ability to tolerate salt stress in saline-alkali soils.
The joint toxicity of polyethylene microplastic and phenanthrene to wheat seedlings
Researchers studied the individual and combined effects of polyethylene microplastics and the pollutant phenanthrene on wheat seedlings grown in soil. They found that microplastics alone caused dose-dependent reductions in plant growth and damaged the photosynthetic system, while the combination with phenanthrene worsened the damage. The study suggests that the co-occurrence of microplastics and organic pollutants in agricultural soils may create compounding negative effects on crop growth.
Single and combined toxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics and PCB-52 to the aquatic duckweed Spirodela polyrhiza
Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics and PCB-52 act synergistically to impair the aquatic plant Spirodela polyrhiza, with combined exposure amplifying oxidative stress, chlorophyll loss, and osmotic imbalance in roots beyond what either pollutant caused alone — while low nanoplastic doses alone mildly stimulated growth.
Polyethylene nanoplastics, tebuconazole and cadmium affect soil-wheat system by altering rhizosphere microenvironment under single or combined exposure
This study examined how polyethylene nanoplastics interact with a pesticide and cadmium (a toxic metal) in soil where wheat is grown. When all three pollutants were present together, they caused more damage to the soil ecosystem and wheat plants than any single pollutant alone. The findings are concerning because agricultural soils often contain multiple contaminants simultaneously, and their combined effects on crop safety and human food quality may be worse than expected.
Toxicity of Polystyrene Nanoplastics and Tributyl Phosphate to Rye under Freeze–Thaw Cycles: Implications for Crop Safety and Mechanistic Insights from Transcriptome and Root Microbiome
Researchers exposed rye to combined polystyrene nanoplastics and the plasticizer tributyl phosphate under simulated freeze-thaw cycles, finding that cold cycling intensifies oxidative stress and photosynthesis suppression by promoting physicochemical complex formation between pollutants, restructuring root endophytic microbiomes, and activating jasmonic acid and abscisic acid defense signaling pathways.