Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Microplastic intake and enzymatic responses in Mytilus galloprovincialis reared at the vicinities of an aquaculture station

Researchers evaluated antioxidant defenses and oxidative stress markers in gills of Mediterranean mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) reared near an aquaculture station, finding that microplastics derived from aquaculture activities induced significant enzymatic stress responses.

2021 Chemosphere 45 citations
Article Tier 2

Gene Expression Analysis in Freshwater Mussels (Unio stevenianus) Collected from Pollutant-Associated Environment

Not relevant to microplastics — this study uses freshwater mussels in a Turkish river as biological sentinels of general water pollution by measuring stress-related gene expression levels, without a focus on microplastic contamination.

2023 Menba Kastamonu Üniversitesi Su Ürünleri Fakültesi Dergisi 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Exposure of Mytilus galloprovincialis to Microplastics: Accumulation, Depuration and Evaluation of the Expression Levels of a Selection of Molecular Biomarkers

Researchers exposed Mediterranean mussels to a realistic mixture of microplastic types and then tested whether a standard purification process could remove them. They found that purification significantly reduced microplastic contamination in the mussels and that molecular biomarkers in the gills could detect the biological effects of exposure. The study suggests that both purification protocols and molecular monitoring tools could help address microplastic risks in farmed shellfish.

2023 Animals 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Are mussels accumulating trace metals and microplastics in port facilities?

Mediterranean mussels deployed at port facilities in Spain were analyzed for trace metals and microplastics, finding elevated contamination compared to reference sites, with both contaminant types reflecting local shipping and maintenance activities as pollution sources.

2025 Marine Environmental Research 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxicological Impacts of Microplastics: Effects on Levels of Cellular Thiols in Mytilus galloprovincialis

Researchers investigated how microplastic exposure affects cellular thiol antioxidants in Mediterranean mussels, finding that short-term exposure altered glutathione and ovothiol levels, indicating oxidative stress as a key mechanism of microplastic toxicity in benthic species.

2023 Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Tissue-Specific Biomarker Responses in the Blue Mussel Mytilus spp. Exposed to a Mixture of Microplastics at Environmentally Relevant Concentrations

Researchers exposed blue mussels to an environmentally relevant mixture of polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics at three concentrations and examined tissue-specific responses over 10 days of exposure and 10 days of depuration. They found that microplastics triggered different antioxidant responses in the digestive gland versus the gills, with some evidence of DNA damage and immune system changes. The study highlights that even low, environmentally realistic concentrations of microplastics can induce measurable biochemical stress in marine bivalves.

2019 Frontiers in Environmental Science 164 citations
Article Tier 2

Physiological and transcriptome analysis of Mytilus coruscus in response to Prorocentrum lima and microplastics

The combined effects of diarrhetic shellfish toxin and microplastics on the mussel Mytilus coruscus were assessed at physiological and transcriptomic levels, revealing synergistic disruption of immune function, antioxidant responses, and metabolic pathways. The study provides molecular-level evidence of interactive toxicity between two common coastal contaminants.

2022 Frontiers in Marine Science 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Chemical pollution and ecotoxicological effects of high-density polyethylene microplastics in Mytilus galloprovincialis from two Italian lagoon ecosystems

Researchers assessed microplastic contamination and chemical pollution in mussels from two Italian lagoon ecosystems and tested the effects of high-density polyethylene microplastic exposure. The study found microplastics present in mussels from one lagoon, and laboratory exposure to HDPE microplastics induced significant oxidative stress responses, suggesting these particles can cause ecotoxicological harm in transitional water ecosystems.

2023 Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Determination of bioaccumulation of polystyrene nanoplastics in mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis and their impact on enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidative stress mechanisms

Researchers assessed the bioaccumulation of polystyrene nanoplastics in the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis and measured enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant stress responses after 4 days of exposure to 1 mg/L of 54 nm particles. Nanoplastics accumulated in mussel tissues and triggered significant oxidative stress responses, including altered superoxide dismutase and catalase activity, indicating toxicological effects at environmentally relevant concentrations.

2024 Juraj Dobrila University of Pula Digital Repository
Article Tier 2

Impact of environmental microplastics alone and mixed with benzo[a]pyrene on cellular and molecular responses of Mytilus galloprovincialis

Researchers exposed Mediterranean mussels to environmentally collected microplastics from a beach, both alone and combined with the pollutant benzo[a]pyrene, at ecologically relevant concentrations. The study found that even short-term exposure caused cellular and molecular responses in the mussels, and the combination of microplastics with chemical pollutants produced different effects than either contaminant alone.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 69 citations
Article Tier 2

Co-exposure to Microplastics and Cadmium: Effects on DNA Damage in Mytilus Galloprovincialis

This study investigated how co-exposure to microplastics and cadmium affects DNA damage in the Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis. Microplastics acted as vectors for cadmium, and combined exposure resulted in greater genotoxic effects than either pollutant alone.

2025 Journal of Biological Research - Bollettino della Società Italiana di Biologia Sperimentale
Article Tier 2

Molecular responses to pollution stress in glass eels (Anguilla anguilla): Gene expression changes associated with varying contamination levels and temperature across estuaries

Researchers measured gene expression in European eel glass eels entering estuaries with varying levels of microplastic and heavy metal contamination, finding that pollution and temperature shifts alter stress-response and metabolic gene expression in ways that may impair survival.

2025 Aquatic Toxicology
Article Tier 2

Effects of environmentally relevant levels of polyethylene microplastic on Mytilus galloprovincialis (Mollusca: Bivalvia): filtration rate and oxidative stress

Researchers exposed Mediterranean mussels to polyethylene microplastics at environmentally relevant concentrations and found significant reductions in filtration rate and signs of oxidative damage in the digestive gland. The study suggests that microplastics as small as 40-48 micrometers can disrupt antioxidant defenses in bivalves even at low concentrations, raising concerns about their impact on marine filter-feeders.

2021 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 99 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of Microplastic in Mexican Coastal Areas Using Mussels (Mytilus spp.) as Biomonitors

Mussels (Mytilus spp.) collected along Mexican coastal sites were used as biomonitors for microplastic contamination, with plastic particles found across sampling locations and associated with elevated concentrations of adsorbed heavy metals.

2024 Environmental sciences 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Single and repetitive microplastics exposures induce immune system modulation and homeostasis alteration in the edible mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis

Researchers examined transcriptome-wide gene expression changes in Mediterranean mussels after single and repeated microplastic exposures, finding significant immune system modulation and disruption of cellular homeostasis. The study suggests that both short-term and chronic microplastic exposure can alter immune regulation pathways in filter-feeding bivalves, with repeated exposures showing cumulative effects.

2018 Fish & Shellfish Immunology 192 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of aging of microplastics on gene expression levels of the marine mussel Mytilus edulis: Comparison in vitro/in vivo exposures

Researchers compared the effects of aged versus non-aged polyethylene microplastics on the marine mussel Mytilus edulis using both in vitro and in vivo exposures at environmentally relevant concentrations. The study found that gene expression changes in xenobiotic defense, immune function, and cell cycle control differed depending on whether the plastic was aged and the type of exposure method used. These findings highlight that the environmental weathering state of microplastics is an important factor in determining their biological effects on marine organisms.

2023 Marine Pollution Bulletin 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Indication of the impact of environmental stress on the responses of the bivalve mollusk Unio tumidus to ibuprofen and microplastics based on biomarkers of reductive stress and apoptosis

Researchers compared freshwater mussels from clean and contaminated sites exposed to microplastics and ibuprofen, finding that chronically stressed populations showed altered biomarker responses for reductive stress and apoptosis, highlighting how environmental history modulates pollutant sensitivity.

2022 Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part C Toxicology & Pharmacology 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Population-dependent stress response of bivalve mollusc Unio tumidus to ibuprofen, microplastic and their mixture

Researchers exposed freshwater mussels (Unio tumidus) from both pristine and contaminated populations to ibuprofen, polyethylene microplastics, and their combination for 14 days, comparing antioxidant enzyme responses, oxidative damage markers, and lysosomal stability. They found population-dependent differences in stress responses, with the contaminated population showing more pronounced reactions to ibuprofen and the pristine population responding more strongly to microplastics alone.

2022 Research Square (Research Square)
Article Tier 2

Effect of legacy and emerging pollutants on genome-wide methylation patterns in black hake (Merluccius polli) natural populations

A genome-wide methylation study of marine mussels exposed to heavy metals and microplastics in the wild found that pollutant exposure caused measurable epigenetic changes, demonstrating that DNA methylation patterns can serve as molecular biomarkers of environmental contamination in wild populations.

2025 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
Article Tier 2

Evaluation of antioxidant capacity and digestive enzyme activities in Mytilus galloprovincialis exposed to nanoplastics under different patterns of hypoxia

Mytilus galloprovincialis mussels exposed to polystyrene nanoplastics under hypoxic conditions showed compounded antioxidant impairment and digestive enzyme disruption compared to nanoplastic exposure alone. The study highlights that hypoxia, an increasingly common marine stressor, can amplify the toxicity of nanoplastic contamination.

2022 Marine Environmental Research 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Exposure to virgin and marine incubated microparticles of biodegradable and conventional polymers modulates the hepatopancreas transcriptome of Mytilus galloprovincialis.

Exposure to both virgin and marine-incubated microparticles from conventional and biodegradable polymers altered gene expression in the hepatopancreas of Mediterranean mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis), with marine weathering generally increasing the immunological and metabolic stress response.

2024 Journal of hazardous materials
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Is microplastic an oxidative stressor? Evidence from a meta-analysis on bivalves

Microplastics induce time-dependent oxidative stress in bivalves, with antioxidant enzymes (GPx, GST, SOD) increasing during short-term exposure but declining after long-term exposure, while glutathione levels and catalase activity remained elevated throughout and may serve as reliable biomarkers of sublethal microplastic effects.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 199 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the deep: Suspended particles affect the model species Mytilus galloprovincialis under hyperbaric conditions

Researchers exposed juvenile Mediterranean mussels to polyethylene microplastics at three concentrations and three pressure levels (1, 4, and 50 Bar) for 96 hours to simulate deep-sea conditions. Microplastics significantly reduced filtration rates and triggered oxidative stress, with transcriptomic analysis revealing pressure-dependent differences in how mussels respond to plastic exposure.

2025 Environmental Pollution
Article Tier 2

Unraveling the interplay between environmental microplastics and salinity stress on Mytilus galloprovincialis larval development: A holistic exploration

Researchers studied how environmental microplastics and increased salinity together affect the early development of Mediterranean mussel larvae. The combination caused larval deformities, developmental problems, and changes in gene activity related to shell formation, stress response, and cell damage. These findings are concerning because climate change is altering ocean salinity in coastal areas where microplastic pollution is also heavy, and mussels are a food source that could pass accumulated microplastics to humans.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 13 citations