Papers

61,005 results
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Review Tier 2

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.

2023 Animals 71 citations
Article Tier 2

The Effects of Probiotics on the Recovery of Growth, Digestive, Antioxidant, Immune Functions, and Gut Microbiota of Chinese Hooksnout Carp (Opsariichthys bidens) Under Microplastic Stress

Researchers exposed juvenile Chinese hooksnout carp to polystyrene microplastics for seven days, then administered Bacillus coagulans probiotics at three doses for 56 days and found that medium and high probiotic doses significantly improved growth, digestive enzyme activity, antioxidant function, and gut microbiota recovery.

2025 Fishes
Article Tier 2

Probiotics, Prebiotics, and Synbiotics Utilization in Crayfish Aquaculture and Factors Affecting Gut Microbiota

This review examines how probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics can improve gut health and disease resistance in farmed crayfish. These supplements help maintain beneficial gut bacteria, boost immune function, and reduce the need for antibiotics in aquaculture. The research is relevant to microplastic concerns because healthy gut microbiomes in aquatic organisms may be more resilient to disruption from environmental contaminants like microplastics.

2023 Microorganisms 40 citations
Article Tier 2

Supplementary Feed Potential on Histology and Immune Response of Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus L.) Exposed to Microplastics

Researchers found that supplementing tilapia feed with probiotics or vitamin C significantly mitigated microplastic-induced organ damage, reducing liver necrosis and inflammation markers while improving intestinal structure and immune cytokine balance.

2023 Sains Malaysiana 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastic fibers on Lates calcarifer juveniles: Accumulation, oxidative stress, intestine microbiome dysbiosis and histological damage

Researchers fed juvenile barramundi fish polyethylene microplastic fibers for 56 days and found that while the fibers did not affect growth, they induced intestinal oxidative stress and disrupted the gut microbiome. Beneficial bacteria including Lactobacillus species were significantly reduced, while overall microbial diversity declined. The study suggests that microplastic fiber ingestion can compromise intestinal health in marine fish even without observable effects on growth.

2021 Ecological Indicators 60 citations
Article Tier 2

Connection between the Gut Microbiota of Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides) and Microbiota of the aquaponics system Environment

Researchers investigated the relationship between gut microbiota composition in largemouth bass and the presence of microplastics in their digestive tracts, finding that microplastic-exposed fish showed distinct microbial community profiles. Certain bacterial taxa associated with plastic degradation were enriched in fish with higher microplastic burdens, suggesting gut microbiota adapt to plastic ingestion.

2024
Article Tier 2

Damage of polyethylene microplastics on the intestine multilayer barrier, blood cell immune function and the repair effect of Leuconostoc mesenteroides DH in the large-scale loach (Paramisgurnus dabryanus)

Researchers found that polyethylene microplastics damage the intestinal lining of loach fish, allowing plastic particles to break through the gut barrier and enter the bloodstream, where they caused blood cell death. Adding a probiotic bacterium (Leuconostoc mesenteroides) to the fish's diet significantly repaired the intestinal damage and improved immune function. This suggests that probiotics may help counteract some of the gut damage caused by microplastic exposure.

2024 Fish & Shellfish Immunology 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of microplastic particles on the gills structure of freshwater fish supplemented with probiotics and vitamin C

This study tested whether commercial feed supplemented with probiotics and vitamin C could repair gill tissue damage in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) caused by microplastic particle exposure. Both supplements showed protective effects on gill histology, suggesting dietary interventions may partially mitigate microplastic-induced tissue damage in farmed fish.

2023 IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene nanoplastics sequester the toxicity mitigating potential of probiotics by altering gut microbiota in grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella)

Researchers tested whether probiotic pretreatment could protect grass carp from the toxic effects of polystyrene nanoplastics on gut health. While probiotics initially boosted immune responses and reduced intestinal damage, the protective effect was not strong enough to fully counteract nanoplastic toxicity over time. The study suggests that nanoplastics can undermine the gut health benefits of probiotics by disrupting the balance of gut bacteria.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 7 citations
Article Tier 2

The Characteristics of Intestinal Bacterial Community in Three Omnivorous Fishes and Their Interaction with Microbiota from Habitats

This study examined the gut bacterial communities of three omnivorous fish species in artificial fishery habitats, comparing them to bacteria in the surrounding water and sediment. Fish gut microbiomes partially reflected the environmental microbiota, suggesting habitat quality affects fish gut health. This is relevant to microplastics because microplastics alter both aquatic microbial communities and fish gut microbiomes.

2021 Microorganisms 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Characteristics of microplastic pollution in golden pompano (Trachinotus ovatus) aquaculture areas and the relationship between colonized-microbiota on microplastics and intestinal microflora

Researchers found that microplastics in golden pompano aquaculture areas colonize with distinct microbial communities that overlap with the fish's gut microbiota, increasing Proteobacteria and decreasing Firmicutes in the intestinal flora of fish living in more contaminated estuarine settings.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 39 citations
Article Tier 2

Novel Autochthonous Strains from Cyprinus carpio as Candidates for Probiotic Use and Microplastic-Degrading Properties

Researchers isolated six bacterial genera from the gut of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) and identified two novel Hafnia strains with both probiotic potential and microplastic-degrading properties, suggesting a dual role for gut bacteria in fish health and environmental bioremediation.

2025 Meat Technology
Article Tier 2

Effect of polystyrene nanoplastics on the intestinal histopathology, oxidative stress, and microbiota of Acrossocheilus yunnanensis

Researchers studied the effects of polystyrene nanoplastics on the intestinal health of a freshwater fish species and found significant damage to the gut lining, including ruptured tissue and damaged nutrient-absorbing structures. The nanoplastics also increased oxidative stress markers and shifted the composition of gut bacteria, reducing beneficial species. The findings suggest that nanoplastic exposure can compromise both the physical barrier and microbial balance of fish intestines.

2025 Aquatic Toxicology 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of Virgin Microplastics on Growth, Intestinal Morphology and Microbiota on Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides)

Researchers found that exposure to virgin microplastics at environmentally relevant concentrations impaired growth, caused intestinal morphological damage, and altered gut microbiota composition in largemouth bass, suggesting that microplastic ingestion poses health risks in commercially important aquaculture species.

2021 Applied Sciences 8 citations
Article Tier 2

The probiotic SLAB51 as agent to counteract BPA toxicity on zebrafish gut microbiota -liver-brain axis

Researchers tested whether the probiotic supplement SLAB51 could counteract the harmful effects of bisphenol A (BPA), a plastic-derived chemical, in zebrafish and found it significantly restored healthy gut bacteria, reduced liver damage, and protected the brain — suggesting probiotics may help offset harm from plastic-associated chemical exposure.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Dysregulation of gut health in zebrafish by differentially charged nanoplastic exposure: an integrated analysis of histopathology, immunology, and microbial informatics

Researchers studied how nanoplastics with different surface charges affect gut health in zebrafish using histopathology, immunology, and microbial analysis. The study found that gut damage and microflora disturbance caused by nanoplastic ingestion significantly depended on the surface functional groups of the particles.

2023 Environmental Science Nano 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Investigation of microplastic accumulation in Rastrelliger kanagurta fish gut and microplastic degradation behaviour of existing gut bacteria Pseudomonas sp.

Researchers found microplastic accumulation in the gut of Indian mackerel fish and identified a Pseudomonas species from the gut bacteria capable of degrading nylon microplastics, suggesting a potential probiotic role in microplastic breakdown.

2022 Archives of Microbiology 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Potential Risk Assessment of Different Sizes of Microplastics on the Digestive System of Hybrid Sturgeon

Hybrid sturgeon (Acipenser baerii × A. schrenckii) were exposed to 1 µm and 5 µm polyethylene microplastics, with smaller particles causing greater intestinal ultrastructure damage, reduced digestive enzyme activity, and more pronounced gut microbiota shifts than larger particles.

2025
Article Tier 2

Understanding the links between micro/nanoplastics-induced gut microbes dysbiosis and potential diseases in fish: A review

This review examines how microplastics and nanoplastics accumulate in fish intestines and disrupt their gut bacteria, potentially leading to inflammation, immune problems, and metabolic diseases. The disrupted gut microbiome can weaken the intestinal barrier, allowing harmful substances to enter the fish's body. Since fish are a major protein source for billions of people, understanding how microplastics damage fish gut health is important for assessing risks to human food safety.

2024 Environmental Pollution 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of polystyrene microplastic exposure on gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata Linnaeus, 1758): Differential inflammatory and immune response between anterior and posterior intestine

Researchers fed gilthead seabream polystyrene microplastics for 21 days and found they triggered inflammation and immune disruption in both sections of the intestine, with the rear portion more severely affected. The microplastics activated inflammatory signaling pathways and weakened the gut barrier by reducing tight junction proteins. The findings suggest microplastic ingestion could compromise gut health and immune function in fish.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 40 citations
Article Tier 2

Intestinal alterations in European sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax (Linnaeus, 1758) exposed to microplastics: Preliminary results

Researchers fed European sea bass diets containing virgin and pollutant-contaminated PVC microplastic pellets for 90 days and examined the effects on their intestines. They found moderate tissue damage and increased mucus cell activity in fish exposed to both types of microplastics, with pollutant-laden particles causing the most pronounced changes. The study provides early evidence that chronic microplastic ingestion can alter gut health in commercially important fish species.

2016 Environmental Pollution 585 citations
Article Tier 2

Potential of feed supplements on morphometric and gonad weight of fish exposed to microplastics

Researchers investigated whether probiotic supplements from lactic acid bacteria and Vitamin C could mitigate the effects of microplastic exposure on the morphometric measurements and gonad weight of tilapia, finding that feed supplementation supported recovery in fish exposed to microplastic-contaminated diets.

2022 IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastics in our water: Fish microbiomes at risk?

This review examined how microplastics and leached plasticizers affect the gut microbiomes of freshwater and marine fish, summarizing evidence for dysbiosis and reduced microbial diversity and discussing potential consequences for fish immunity, metabolism, and environmental fitness.

2021 Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part D Genomics and Proteomics 25 citations
Article Tier 2

A fishy gut feeling – current knowledge on gut microbiota in teleosts

This review summarizes what scientists know about the community of bacteria living in fish guts and how diet, environmental conditions, and pollutants shape that community. Microplastics and other pollutants can disrupt the gut microbiome in fish, harming their immune function and overall health. Since fish are a major food source for humans, understanding these effects matters for food safety.

2025 Frontiers in Marine Science 14 citations