Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Interactive effects of micro/nanoplastics and nanomaterials/pharmaceuticals: Their ecotoxicological consequences in the aquatic systems

Researchers reviewed how micro- and nanoplastics interact with co-occurring nanomaterials and pharmaceuticals in aquatic environments, finding that plastics act as vectors that can either amplify or attenuate the bioavailability and toxicity of these contaminants depending on species, trophic level, and environmental conditions.

2021 Aquatic Toxicology 61 citations
Article Tier 2

Interactions of emerging contaminants with model colloidal microplastics, C60 fullerene, and natural organic matter – effect of surface functional group and adsorbate properties

Researchers studied how two common pharmaceutical contaminants — amlodipine and carbamazepine — adsorb onto colloidal microplastics, natural organic matter, and fullerene nanoparticles. The drug amlodipine accumulated at much higher levels than carbamazepine, and the type of surface coating on the plastic significantly influenced how much drug was absorbed, with implications for how microplastics carry pharmaceuticals through water systems.

2020 Environmental Science Processes & Impacts 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Surface Functionalities of Polymers for Biomaterial Applications

This study examined how microplastic pollution interacts with pharmaceutical contaminants in freshwater, finding that polystyrene microplastics enhanced the uptake and toxicity of diclofenac in zebrafish embryos. The combined effect was greater than predicted from single-contaminant dose-response curves.

2022 Polymers 52 citations
Article Tier 2

Characteristics of microplastic-derived dissolved organic matter and its binding with pharmaceuticals unveiled by fluorescence spectroscopy and two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy

Researchers characterized dissolved organic matter released by microplastics during UV-driven aging and examined how it interacts with pharmaceutical compounds. They found that aged polyethylene terephthalate and polystyrene microplastics release fluorescent organic substances that can bind with antibiotics like chloramphenicol and carbamazepine. The study suggests that microplastic degradation byproducts may influence the environmental fate and transport of pharmaceutical pollutants in water.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 41 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics increase the toxicity of a pharmaceutical, at environmentally relevant concentrations – A mixture design with Daphnia magna

Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics significantly increased the toxicity of the pharmaceutical diphenhydramine to Daphnia magna water fleas at environmentally relevant concentrations. The combination caused oxidative damage that was not observed when organisms were exposed to either substance alone, indicating a synergistic interaction. The study highlights that the co-occurrence of nanoplastics and pharmaceutical pollutants in water may create compounding risks for aquatic organisms.

2023 Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Cocktail effects of emerging contaminants on zebrafish: Nanoplastics and the pharmaceutical diphenhydramine

Researchers investigated cocktail effects of polystyrene nanoplastics and the antihistamine diphenhydramine on zebrafish, finding that nanoplastics altered the uptake and toxicity of the pharmaceutical, demonstrating the importance of studying contaminant mixtures.

2023 NanoImpact 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of nanoplastics and microplastics on the availability of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in aqueous environment

Researchers found that nanoplastics and microplastics can sorb pharmaceuticals and personal care products in water, with smaller nanoplastics showing 1-2 orders of magnitude stronger sorption than microplastics, potentially reducing the bioavailability of these contaminants in aquatic environments.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 31 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic–Pharmaceuticals Interaction in Water Systems

This review examined the interactions between microplastics and pharmaceutical compounds in aquatic environments, exploring how microplastics act as vectors that concentrate, transport, and potentially enhance the bioavailability and toxicity of drug residues in water.

2023 Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics and their combined effects with sulphamethoxazole on the free-floating aquatic plant Lemna major

Researchers studied the combined effects of polystyrene nanoplastics and the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole on free-floating freshwater organisms, examining how co-exposure to these two pollutants interacts compared to individual exposures. Nanoplastics altered the bioavailability and toxicity of the antibiotic, demonstrating complex mixture effects in aquatic systems.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

The role of nanoplastics on the toxicity of the herbicide phenmedipham, using Danio rerio embryos as model organisms

Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics altered the toxicity of the herbicide phenmedipham to zebrafish embryos, with combined exposure producing different developmental effects than either contaminant alone, suggesting nanoplastics can modify pesticide bioavailability.

2022 Environmental Pollution 22 citations
Article Tier 2

The Sorption of Antidepressant Pharmaceuticals on Virgin and Aged Microplastics Is Lower than Bioconcentration in Protozoa

Researchers assessed the sorption of antidepressant pharmaceuticals — sertraline, fluoxetine, and duloxetine — onto virgin and UV-aged polystyrene, polyethylene terephthalate, and polyvinyl chloride microplastics, comparing these results to sorption onto biochar. The study found that microplastic sorption of these polar drugs was consistently lower than biochar sorption, suggesting that while microplastics can act as vectors for antidepressant transport in aquatic environments, their relative contribution may be smaller than previously assumed.

2024 Water 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Interaction between Microplastics and Pharmaceuticals Depending on the Composition of Aquatic Environment

This review examines how aquatic environmental conditions — including dissolved organic matter, salinity, pH, and temperature — influence the adsorption and desorption of pharmaceuticals onto microplastic surfaces, showing that water composition significantly affects the extent to which microplastics act as vectors for drug contaminants.

2022 Microplastics 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene nanoplastics synergistically exacerbate diclofenac toxicity in embryonic development and the health of adult zebrafish

When zebrafish embryos and adults were exposed to polystyrene nanoplastics combined with the common pain medication diclofenac, the mixture was significantly more harmful than either substance alone. The combination reduced hatching rates, increased mortality, caused developmental abnormalities, and triggered intestinal inflammation in adult fish. This finding is concerning because nanoplastics and pharmaceutical residues frequently coexist in waterways, and their combined effects on aquatic life could be worse than what studies of individual pollutants suggest.

2024 Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part C Toxicology & Pharmacology 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Interactive effects of microplastics and selected pharmaceuticals on red tilapia: Role of microplastic aging

Researchers compared how aged versus virgin polystyrene microplastics interact with the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole and the beta-blocker propranolol in red tilapia. They found that aged microplastics, which have rougher surfaces from UV weathering, adsorbed more pharmaceuticals and altered their bioavailability to the fish. The study demonstrates that environmental aging of microplastics changes their capacity to carry and release pharmaceutical contaminants in aquatic systems.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 135 citations
Article Tier 2

Joint effect of nanoplastics and humic acid on the uptake of PAHs for Daphnia magna: A model study

This study examined how humic acid (a form of dissolved organic matter) modifies the bioaccumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in aquatic organisms exposed to nanoplastics, finding that humic acid significantly altered the joint effects of the two complex matrices. The results indicate that natural organic matter plays an important role in regulating nanoplastic-associated chemical uptake.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 56 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Alter the Distribution and Toxic Potential of Typical Pharmaceuticals in Aqueous Solutions: Mechanisms and Theory Calculations

Researchers studied how polystyrene microplastics interact with common pharmaceutical drugs in water and found that the plastics can absorb these medications, altering their distribution and potentially increasing environmental toxicity. The strength of absorption varied depending on the chemical properties of each drug, with some binding much more readily to microplastics than others. The findings highlight that microplastics may act as carriers for pharmaceutical pollutants, complicating efforts to assess water contamination risks.

2025 ACS ES&T Water 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Interactionsbetween Nanoplastics and Antibiotics:Implications for Nanoplastics Aggregation in Aquatic Environments

Researchers studied how the antibiotics ciprofloxacin and tetracycline interact with polystyrene nanoplastics in aquatic environments, finding that these drugs alter nanoplastic surface properties and aggregation behavior under environmentally relevant conditions.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Interaction of Environmental Pollutants with Microplastics: A Critical Review of Sorption Factors, Bioaccumulation and Ecotoxicological Effects

This critical review examines how microplastics interact with and enhance the toxicity of co-occurring environmental pollutants including heavy metals, persistent organic compounds, and pharmaceuticals, synthesizing evidence on sorption mechanisms and combined ecotoxicological effects.

2020 Toxics 313 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption of diclofenac by polystyrene microplastics: Kinetics, isotherms and particle size effects

Researchers investigated the sorption of the pharmaceutical diclofenac onto polystyrene microplastics of different sizes, finding that sorption capacity increased with particle size and was influenced by environmental factors such as pH, ionic strength, and dissolved organic matter.

2021 Chemosphere 40 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined Toxicity of Polystyrene Nanoplastics and Pyriproxyfen to Daphnia magna

Researchers evaluated the combined toxic effects of polystyrene nanoplastics and the insecticide pyriproxyfen on the water flea Daphnia magna under both acute and chronic exposure conditions. They found that nanoplastics initially reduced the acute toxicity of the pesticide within 24 hours but worsened chronic effects over longer periods. The study suggests that nanoplastics can alter how other environmental contaminants affect aquatic organisms, complicating risk assessments.

2024 Sustainability 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of nanoplastic on toxicity of azole fungicides (ketoconazole and fluconazole) in zebrafish embryos

Researchers investigated how polystyrene nanoplastics interact with azole fungicides ketoconazole and fluconazole in zebrafish embryos. Co-exposure to nanoplastics and azoles reduced hatching and survival rates while increasing malformations and oxidative stress markers compared to individual exposures. The study suggests that nanoplastics can enhance the toxicity of common antifungal compounds in aquatic organisms through synergistic effects.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 71 citations
Article Tier 2

Interactions of microplastics and organic compounds in aquatic environments: A case study of augmented joint toxicity

Researchers investigated how polystyrene microplastics interact with the antimicrobial compound triclosan in simulated environmental and cellular conditions. They found that surface-functionalized microplastics adsorbed significantly more triclosan and released it under cellular conditions, with the combination producing greater toxicity to human intestinal cells than either contaminant alone. The study suggests that microplastics can amplify the harmful effects of co-occurring organic pollutants.

2021 Chemosphere 77 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Meet Metoprolol in Natural Water: Sorption Behavior and Mechanism

Laboratory experiments showed that common plastic types — polyvinyl chloride and polypropylene — readily adsorb the heart medication metoprolol from water, and that this adsorption increases at higher pH and in the presence of dissolved organic matter (humic acids). These findings raise concern that microplastics in aquatic environments could act as transport vectors for pharmaceutical drugs, potentially delivering them to fish and other organisms in concentrated doses.

2024 Water 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Unravelling the complex interactions between microplastics and PPCPs: The environment and health implications

This review examines how microplastics interact with pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), finding that the large hydrophobic surface area of microplastics enhances PPCP adsorption, increasing their persistence, bioavailability, and potential for biomagnification through food webs.

2025 International Journal of Biosciences (IJB)