Papers

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Article Tier 2

The combined toxic effects of polystyrene microplastics and different forms of arsenic on the zebrafish embryos (Danio rerio)

Researchers studied how polystyrene microplastics interact with different forms of arsenic and their combined effects on zebrafish embryos. The microplastics absorbed arsenic from the water and altered how the toxic metal accumulated in zebrafish tissues, changing its toxicity profile. The findings suggest that microplastics in the environment can modify how other pollutants affect living organisms, potentially making combined exposures more harmful than expected.

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

Effects of combined exposure to polystyrene microplastics and 17α-Methyltestosterone on the reproductive system of zebrafish

Researchers exposed zebrafish to polystyrene microplastics combined with a synthetic hormone (17-alpha-methyltestosterone) and found that the combination caused more severe reproductive damage than either substance alone. The co-exposure reduced mature egg and sperm production, disrupted hormone-related gene expression, and lowered reproductive hormone levels. This suggests that microplastics can make the effects of hormone-disrupting chemicals in the environment worse, which is concerning for both wildlife and human reproductive health.

2023 Theriogenology 31 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastics exacerbate acetochlor-induced reproductive toxicity and transgenerational effects in zebrafish

This zebrafish study found that polystyrene microplastics made the herbicide acetochlor significantly more toxic to the reproductive system, and the damage was passed down to the next generation. The microplastics acted as carriers for the pesticide, increasing its absorption and worsening hormone disruption and fertility problems. This is concerning because both microplastics and agricultural chemicals are commonly found together in waterways, where their combined effects may be greater than previously understood.

2024 Aquatic Toxicology 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastics enhance the microcystin-LR-induced gonadal damage and reproductive endocrine disruption in zebrafish

Zebrafish exposed to polystyrene microplastics along with microcystin-LR (a common toxin from algae blooms) suffered worse reproductive damage than when exposed to either pollutant alone. The microplastics acted as carriers that increased the amount of toxin accumulating in the fish's reproductive organs. This study demonstrates that microplastics can worsen the effects of other water pollutants by helping toxic chemicals build up in the body.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 73 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxicity of parental co-exposure of microplastic and bisphenol compounds on adult zebrafish: Multi-omics investigations on offspring

When adult zebrafish were exposed to combinations of microplastics with bisphenol A (BPA) or bisphenol S (BPS), the reproductive damage was worse than from any single pollutant alone, and the effects carried over to their offspring. The BPA-microplastic combination primarily affected brain function, while BPS-microplastic exposure mainly disrupted visual development in the next generation. This study highlights that microplastics can amplify the harmful effects of common plastic chemicals, with consequences that extend to future generations.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Synergistic reproductive toxicity of microcystin-LR and polystyrene micro/nano-plastics in male zebrafish.

Male zebrafish exposed to both microcystin-LR and polystyrene micro/nano-plastics showed synergistic reproductive toxicity, with co-exposure more severely impairing sperm quality, testicular structure, and reproductive hormones than either contaminant alone. The study underscored the ecological risk posed by the co-occurrence of cyanotoxins and microplastics in aquatic environments.

2025 Ecotoxicology and environmental safety
Article Tier 2

Combined exposure of polystyrene microplastics and carbamazepine induced transgenerational effects on the reproduction of Daphnia magna

Researchers found that combined exposure to polystyrene microplastics and carbamazepine caused enhanced transgenerational reproductive toxicity in Daphnia magna across two generations, with mixture effects significantly worse than individual exposures.

2023 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Synergistic endocrine disruption and cellular toxicity of polyethylene microplastics and bisphenol A in MLTC-1 cells and zebrafish

When zebrafish and testicular cells were exposed to polyethylene microplastics and the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) together, the combination caused significantly worse reproductive harm than either pollutant alone, including reduced cell survival and disrupted hormone-producing gene activity. This matters because people are commonly exposed to both microplastics and BPA through food packaging, and their combined effect on reproductive health may be greater than expected.

2025 Scientific Reports 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxic effects of co-exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics and arsenic in zebrafish (Danio rerio): Oxidative stress, physiological and biochemical responses

In a zebrafish study, polystyrene nanoplastics made arsenic more toxic by helping the poison build up in the liver, gills, and intestines. The nanoplastics increased cell damage and oxidative stress beyond what arsenic alone would cause. This shows that nanoplastics can act as carriers for other toxic substances in water, potentially making environmental pollutants more dangerous to aquatic life and the food chain.

2025 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxic effects of polystyrene microplastics on atrazine in zebrafish: Exogenous toxicity and endogenous mechanism

Researchers found that combining polystyrene microplastics with the common herbicide atrazine was more toxic to zebrafish than either pollutant alone, causing greater liver and gut damage. The combination also degraded water quality by reducing oxygen levels and increasing harmful nitrogen compounds. This is important because microplastics and pesticides frequently co-exist in the environment, meaning their combined effects on aquatic life and food safety may be worse than studies of individual pollutants suggest.

2025 Environmental Pollution 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Multigenerational effects of co-exposure to dimethylarsinic acid and polystyrene microplastics on the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans

Researchers found that co-exposure to dimethylarsinic acid and polystyrene microplastics across five generations of C. elegans nematodes caused cumulative harm, with microplastics reducing detoxification capacity and arsenic impairing growth more severely than either pollutant alone.

2023 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption of PFOS onto polystyrene microplastics potentiates synergistic toxic effects during zebrafish embryogenesis and neurodevelopment

Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics can absorb PFOS (a persistent industrial chemical) from water and deliver it to zebrafish embryos in a more concentrated form. The combination caused worse developmental problems than either pollutant alone, including delayed hatching, higher death rates, birth defects, and impaired brain development. This shows microplastics can act as carriers that intensify the toxic effects of other environmental chemicals.

2024 Chemosphere 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Endocrine disrupting effect and reproductive toxicity of the separate exposure and co-exposure of nano-polystyrene and diethylstilbestrol to zebrafish

Researchers exposed zebrafish to nano-polystyrene and the synthetic estrogen diethylstilbestrol separately and together, finding that combined exposure caused additive disruption of sex hormones and vitellogenin, a dramatic drop in egg production from 1,031 to 306, and a 65% embryo abnormality rate — substantially worse than either pollutant alone.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 49 citations
Article Tier 2

The toxic effect of bisphenol AF and nanoplastic coexposure in parental and offspring generation zebrafish

Researchers exposed adult zebrafish to bisphenol AF and nanoplastics for 45 days and examined effects across multiple generations of offspring. The study found that both single BPAF exposure and combined BPAF-nanoplastic exposure decreased egg production and locomotor behavior in parents, and negatively affected hatching rates, mortality, body length, and behavior in offspring, indicating transgenerational toxic effects.

2023 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastics modulate the toxic effects of bisphenol A in the early stages of zebrafish development

This study investigated whether polystyrene microplastics affect the toxicity of bisphenol A (BPA) during zebrafish embryo development by co-exposing fish to both contaminants. The PS microplastics modulated BPA toxicity in complex ways—in some developmental endpoints amplifying harm, in others providing partial protection—underscoring the unpredictability of combined plastic-chemical exposures.

2025 Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology
Article Tier 2

Microplastics aggravate the adverse effects of methylmercury than inorganic mercury on zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Researchers exposed zebrafish embryos to polystyrene microplastics combined with two forms of mercury and found that the microplastics significantly increased the accumulation of methylmercury in the fish. The combination of microplastics and methylmercury caused worse developmental abnormalities, delayed hatching, and greater oxidative stress than either pollutant alone. The study suggests that microplastics can act as carriers for toxic metals, amplifying their harmful effects on aquatic organisms.

2024 Environmental Pollution 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Arsenic and polystyrene-nano plastics co-exposure induced testicular toxicity: Triggers oxidative stress and promotes apoptosis and inflammation in mice.

Combined exposure of mice to polystyrene nanoplastics and arsenic caused greater testicular damage than either pollutant alone, with co-exposure triggering amplified oxidative stress, apoptosis, and inflammatory signaling in testicular tissue, pointing to compounding reproductive toxicity from these co-occurring environmental contaminants.

2024 Environmental toxicology
Article Tier 2

Combined exposure of polystyrene microplastics and carbamazepine induced transgenerational effects on the reproduction of Daphnia magna

Researchers found that combined exposure to polystyrene microplastics and the pharmaceutical carbamazepine caused transgenerational reproductive toxicity in water fleas, with the second generation showing significantly reduced offspring numbers and disrupted expression of reproduction-related genes.

2023 Research Square (Research Square) 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Adverse multigeneration combined impacts of micro(nano)plastics and emerging pollutants in the aquatic environment

This review examines how micro and nanoplastics combined with other pollutants can cause harm not just to exposed organisms but also to their offspring across multiple generations. The transgenerational effects include changes in growth, reproduction, and gene expression that persist even without continued exposure. This suggests that microplastic pollution could have long-lasting impacts on wildlife populations beyond what single-generation studies reveal.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Pyraclostrobin-induced reproductive and intergenerational developmental toxicity in zebrafish: Modulatory effects of microplastics

Researchers assessed the reproductive and intergenerational developmental toxicity of the fungicide pyraclostrobin in zebrafish, with and without polyethylene microplastic co-exposure. The study found that pyraclostrobin bioaccumulated in multiple tissues with the highest levels in the intestine and liver, and co-exposure with microplastics modulated its toxicity and maternal transfer potential.

2026 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Article Tier 2

Microplastics increase the accumulation of phenanthrene in the ovaries of marine medaka (Oryzias melastigma) and its transgenerational toxicity

Researchers found that co-exposing female marine medaka fish to phenanthrene-adsorbed microplastics significantly increased the accumulation of the pollutant in ovaries compared to phenanthrene alone. The combination worsened reproductive toxicity by increasing follicular atresia and inhibiting ovarian maturation, and the pollutant was transferred to offspring embryos. The study suggests that microplastics may amplify the transgenerational toxicity of organic pollutants in marine fish populations.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 87 citations
Article Tier 2

Integration of physiology, microbiota and metabolomics reveals toxic response of zebrafish gut to co-exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics and arsenic

Researchers exposed zebrafish to arsenic combined with polystyrene nanoplastics and found that the nanoplastics significantly increased arsenic accumulation in the gut, by up to 77% at the higher dose. The combined exposure caused more oxidative damage and greater disruption to gut bacteria and metabolism than arsenic alone. This study shows that nanoplastics can make other environmental pollutants more dangerous by helping them accumulate in the digestive system.

2024 Aquatic Toxicology 10 citations
Article Tier 2

The joint effect of parental exposure to microcystin-LR and polystyrene nanoplastics on the growth of zebrafish offspring

Adult zebrafish co-exposed to polystyrene nanoplastics and microcystin-LR (MCLR) for 21 days transferred more MCLR to their offspring than MCLR alone, and the nanoplastic-enhanced MCLR parental load correlated with greater growth inhibition and developmental defects in F1 larvae.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 88 citations
Article Tier 2

Co-exposure to polystyrene microplastics and microcystin-LR aggravated male reproductive toxicity in mice

Researchers found that exposing mice to a combination of polystyrene microplastics and microcystin-LR, a toxin produced by algae, caused more severe damage to male reproductive organs than either pollutant alone. The microplastics increased the amount of the toxin that accumulated in testicular tissue. The study suggests that the interaction between microplastics and other environmental contaminants may amplify reproductive health risks.

2023 Food and Chemical Toxicology 18 citations