Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution: An emerging contaminant in aquaculture

This review examines how microplastics are contaminating aquaculture (fish farming) through wastewater, aging equipment, and fish feed, and harming cultured fish through oxidative stress, immune damage, and reproductive problems. Since aquaculture provides a major source of dietary protein worldwide, microplastic contamination in farmed fish is a direct food safety concern. The review recommends better water screening, facility maintenance, and feed quality control to reduce microplastic levels in fish farming.

2023 Aquaculture and Fisheries 81 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic toxicity in fish: A potential review on sources, impacts, and solution

This review summarizes research on how microplastics affect fish health, covering sources of contamination, physical damage, hormonal disruption, and behavioral changes. Microplastics accumulate in fish tissues and can concentrate up the food chain, with potential toxic effects passing on to humans who eat contaminated seafood. The authors discuss possible solutions including better waste management, biodegradable alternatives, and advanced water treatment.

2025 Aquatic Toxicology 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Natural-based solutions to mitigate dietary microplastics side effects in fish

Zebrafish reared for 6 months on diets containing microencapsulated astaxanthin and microplastics showed reduced oxidative stress and lower MP accumulation in liver compared to controls, suggesting antioxidant supplementation can mitigate the toxicological effects of dietary microplastic exposure.

2024 Chemosphere 5 citations
Article Tier 2

The Potential for Toxicity to Fishes from Micro- and Nanoplastics, and Their Additives

This review examines the potential toxicity of micro- and nanoplastics and their chemical additives to freshwater and marine fish species. Evidence indicates that exposure to these particles may cause physical harm, oxidative stress, and disruption of normal biological functions in fish, with the diverse range of plastic sizes, shapes, polymer types, and associated chemicals making comprehensive risk assessment particularly challenging.

2024 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxic effects on bioaccumulation, hematological parameters, oxidative stress, immune responses and neurotoxicity in fish exposed to microplastics: A review

This review summarizes how microplastics affect fish health, covering toxic effects on blood, immune system, nervous system, and the buildup of plastics in fish tissues. Microplastics that accumulate in fish can trigger oxidative damage, weaken immune responses, and impair brain-related enzyme activity. Since fish are a major protein source for humans, understanding how microplastics harm fish health is directly relevant to the safety of our food supply.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 452 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Meta-analysis of the effects of microplastic on fish: Insights into growth, survival, reproduction, oxidative stress, and gut microbiota diversity

A meta-analysis of 3,757 biological endpoints from 85 studies found that microplastic exposure significantly inhibits fish growth, survival, and reproduction while increasing oxidative damage, but does not significantly alter gut microbiota diversity. The severity of toxic effects depends on microplastic type, size, concentration, exposure pathway, and the fish's life stage.

2024 Water Research 41 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecotoxicological and physiological risks of microplastics on fish and their possible mitigation measures

This review summarizes how microplastics affect fish health, including reduced feeding, impaired gill function, weakened immune systems, and reproductive problems. Researchers found that microplastics can transfer through the food chain from smaller organisms to top predators, raising concerns about broader ecosystem impacts. The study also highlights mitigation strategies such as reducing single-use plastics, recycling, and using bioplastics.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 218 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics, pesticides and nano-materials on fish health, oxidative stress and antioxidant defense mechanism

This review examines how microplastics, pesticides, and nanoparticles harm fish by causing oxidative stress, DNA damage, immune system disruption, and changes in gut bacteria. Since contaminated fish is a major pathway for microplastics and pesticides to enter the human diet, declining fish health and quality directly affect food safety and human nutrition worldwide.

2023 Frontiers in Physiology 170 citations
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

Effect of nanoplastics on fish health and performance: A review

Researchers reviewed studies on nanoplastics (particles smaller than 100 nm) in fish and found evidence of tissue accumulation, impaired locomotion and foraging, immune and growth disruption, altered lipid metabolism, and neurotoxicity, though mortality and developmental malformations had not yet been reported.

2019 Marine Pollution Bulletin 162 citations
Article Tier 2

Mitigation of Dietary Microplastic Accumulation and Oxidative Stress Response in Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) Fry Through Dietary Supplementation of a Natural Microencapsulated Antioxidant

Researchers tested whether a microencapsulated natural antioxidant, astaxanthin, could protect rainbow trout fry from the harmful effects of dietary microplastics over a 60-day feeding trial. The antioxidant supplement reduced microplastic accumulation in fish tissues and helped counteract oxidative stress caused by the plastic particles. The findings suggest that dietary interventions could help mitigate microplastic harm in farmed fish, with potential implications for aquaculture safety.

2025 Animals 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Understanding the sources, fate and effects of microplastics in aquatic environments with a focus on risk profiling in aquaculture systems

This review summarizes how microplastics enter aquaculture systems and accumulate in farmed fish, causing toxic effects including immune disruption, oxidative stress, and genetic damage. Since farmed fish are a major food source, the buildup of microplastics in aquaculture poses a direct pathway for these particles to reach human diets.

2024 Reviews in Aquaculture 67 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxicological Research on Nano and Microplastics in Environmental Pollution: Current Advances and Future Directions

This review summarizes existing research on how nano- and microplastics from our massive global plastic production enter aquatic environments, absorb harmful chemicals, and move through food chains into living organisms. Studies show these particles can cause brain damage, disrupt metabolism, trigger inflammation, and produce harmful oxidative stress in aquatic species, with microplastics even detected in commercial fish that people eat.

2024 Aquatic Toxicology 43 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Systematic Review of Microplastic Characterization Methods and Associated Toxicological Outcomes in Fish

This systematic review evaluated methods used to identify microplastics and their health effects in fish. The findings showed that microplastic exposure causes liver and gill damage, behavioral changes, and oxidative stress in fish, which matters for human health because contaminated fish is a common part of our diet.

2025 Environmental Research and Planetary Health
Article Tier 2

Toxicity of microplastics in fish: A short review

This short review summarizes current knowledge on microplastic occurrence in fish, covering sources and pathways of ingestion, impacts on fish physiology and behavior, and potential strategies for monitoring and reducing contamination.

2024 Journal of Toxicological Studies
Review Tier 2

Bioavailability and toxicity of microplastics to fish species: A review

This review summarizes current knowledge about microplastic ingestion and its toxic effects in fish species worldwide. Researchers found that microplastics have been detected in fish from nearly all types of aquatic habitats, and both field and laboratory studies confirm fish are highly susceptible to ingesting these particles. The study notes that microplastics alone or combined with other pollutants can cause various health problems in fish, raising concerns about implications for human seafood consumption.

2019 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 511 citations
Article Tier 2

Impacts of microplastic accumulation in aquatic environment: Physiological, eco-toxicological, immunological, and neurotoxic effects

This review summarizes how microplastics build up in fish and other aquatic life, causing damage to their immune systems, nervous systems, and overall health. When fish eat microplastics, the particles move up the food chain and can eventually reach humans through seafood consumption. The authors also discuss strategies for removing microplastics from water and reducing plastic pollution.

2024 Aquatic Toxicology 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro(nano)plastics Prevalence, Food Web Interactions, and Toxicity Assessment in Aquatic Organisms: A Review

This review examines the prevalence of micro- and nanoplastics across aquatic environments and their documented toxic effects on organisms ranging from plankton to fish, including DNA damage, reproductive harm, and neurotoxicity. Researchers found clear evidence that these particles transfer through aquatic food webs and can ultimately reach humans through seafood consumption. The study calls for more research into how microplastics carrying multiple contaminants cause combined toxic effects in marine organisms.

2022 Frontiers in Marine Science 164 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Effects of Virgin Micro- and Nanoplastics on Fish: Trends, Meta-Analysis, and Perspectives

This meta-analysis pools data from many studies on how micro- and nanoplastics affect fish, finding evidence of harmful effects on growth, reproduction, and behavior. Since fish are a major protein source for billions of people, understanding how plastic pollution affects fish health has direct implications for human nutrition and food safety.

2020 Environmental Science & Technology 236 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxic effects of microplastic and nanoplastic on the reproduction of teleost fish in aquatic environments

This review summarizes research on how microplastics and nanoplastics harm the reproductive systems of fish, covering effects on fertility, sperm quality, egg development, and offspring abnormalities. The tiny plastic particles enter fish through their digestive tract, gills, and skin, causing oxidative damage that disrupts reproduction at the molecular and cellular level. Since fish are a major protein source for humans, reproductive damage to fish populations could affect both food security and the transfer of microplastics through the food chain.

2024 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 13 citations
Article Tier 2

The Negative Impact of Microplastics on the Safety of Fish Raw Materials and Seafood

This review examined how microplastic exposure harms fish and seafood at multiple levels—blocking digestive tracts, injuring tissues, causing oxidative stress, disrupting immune function, and enabling the transfer of toxic additives—with implications for seafood safety.

2025 VESTNIK OF THE BASHKIR STATE AGRARIAN UNIVERSITY
Systematic Review Tier 1

A systematic review of the effects of nanoplastics on fish

This systematic review examines how nanoplastics (extremely small plastic particles) affect fish, including their ability to cross biological barriers and accumulate in tissues. The findings are relevant to human health because fish are a major dietary protein source, and understanding how plastics move through aquatic food chains helps us assess our own exposure risks.

2025 Frontiers in Toxicology 7 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Effects of microplastics on the toxicity of co-existing pollutants to fish: A meta-analysis

Meta-analysis of 1,380 biological endpoints from 55 studies found that microplastics in co-existing pollutant solutions significantly increased toxicity to fish beyond what the pollutants caused alone, particularly elevating immune system damage, metabolic disruption, and oxidative stress. The effect depended on fish life stage and microplastic size, but not on pollutant or polymer type.

2023 Water Research 81 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Potential toxicity of nanoplastics to fish and aquatic invertebrates: Current understanding, mechanistic interpretation, and meta-analysis

Nanoplastics significantly reduced survival, behavior, and reproduction of fish and aquatic invertebrates by 56%, 24%, and 36% respectively, while increasing oxidative stress by 72% and decreasing antioxidant defenses by 24%, with effects influenced by particle size, functional groups, and concentration.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 77 citations