Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

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

Researchers examined the combined effects of nanoplastics and the antibiotic sulphamethoxazole on free-floating algae, assessing whether nanoplastics alter antibiotic toxicity. The co-exposure produced greater inhibitory effects on algal growth than either substance alone.

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

Toxicity interaction of polystyrene nanoplastics with sulfamethoxazole on the microalgae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii: A closer look at effect of light availability

Researchers studied how light availability influences the combined toxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics and the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole on the microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. The study found that the interaction between these two pollutants was largely antagonistic under low and normal light conditions, as nanoplastics could adsorb the antibiotic and reduce its bioavailability, highlighting the importance of environmental factors in determining combined pollutant toxicity.

2023 Journal of Environmental Management 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and co-pollutant with ciprofloxacin affect interactions between free-floating macrophytes

Researchers found that polyethylene microplastics and ciprofloxacin co-pollutants altered competitive interactions between free-floating macrophytes, with combined exposure affecting plant growth and physiological responses differently than individual pollutant exposure.

2022 Environmental Pollution 39 citations
Article Tier 2

Interactive toxicity effects of metronidazole, diclofenac, ibuprofen, and differently functionalized nanoplastics on marine algae Chlorella sp.

Researchers examined the combined toxicity of common pharmaceutical drugs and nanoplastics with different surface coatings on marine algae. They found that the interaction between drugs and nanoplastics produced effects ranging from additive to synergistic, depending on the specific combination, with amine-coated nanoplastics generally causing more harm. The study highlights that real-world mixtures of pharmaceutical and plastic pollutants in oceans may pose greater risks to marine life than either contaminant alone.

2025 Environmental Science Processes & Impacts 3 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

Synergistic Pollution: Interactions Among Polyethylene, Surfactants, and Antibiotics in an Aquatic Environment

Researchers investigated synergistic pollution effects among polyethylene microplastics, surfactants, and antibiotics in aquatic systems, finding that co-presence enhanced the environmental persistence and bioavailability of antibiotics beyond what microplastics or surfactants caused individually.

2025
Article Tier 2

Toxic effects and mechanisms of nanoplastics and sulfonamide antibiotics on Scenedesmus obliquus

This study tested the combined toxic effects of nanoplastics and sulfonamide antibiotics on freshwater algae, finding that the pollutants together were more harmful than either one alone. The mixture reduced algae growth, damaged cell membranes, and increased oxidative stress. Since algae form the base of aquatic food chains, this damage could cascade through ecosystems and eventually affect the quality of water and food that humans depend on.

2025 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxicological Effects of Microplastics and Sulfadiazine on the Microalgae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Researchers examined the combined toxicity of polystyrene microplastics and the antibiotic sulfadiazine on the freshwater microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. The results suggest that both substances individually and in combination inhibited algal growth, and the interaction between microplastics and antibiotics may alter their respective toxic effects on aquatic organisms.

2022 Frontiers in Microbiology 40 citations
Article Tier 2

Interactive effect of nanoplastic particles and phototoxicant on microalgae

Researchers studied the combined effects of polystyrene nanoparticles and methylene blue, a phototoxic compound, on two species of freshwater microalgae. Depending on concentrations and exposure duration, the combination produced synergistic, additive, or antagonistic toxic effects on algal growth. The study highlights that nanoplastics can modify the toxicity of other pollutants in complex and sometimes unpredictable ways.

2026 Advances in Natural Sciences Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
Article Tier 2

Individual and combined toxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics and clothianidin toward Daphnia magna, Lemna minor, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, and Microcystis aeruginosa

Scientists tested polystyrene nanoplastics and a common insecticide (clothianidin) both alone and together on four different freshwater organisms. Surprisingly, the combined exposure was generally less toxic than predicted, showing antagonistic interactions where the two pollutants partially canceled out each other's effects. However, the nanoplastics alone still caused long-lasting harm to water flea reproduction that carried over to offspring born after exposure ended, suggesting nanoplastics can have multi-generational effects.

2025 Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Co-exposure effects of polystyrene nanoplastics and silver nanoparticles in constructed wetlands: Microbial and macrophyte responses

Researchers co-exposed constructed wetlands to polystyrene nanoplastics and silver nanoparticles and found synergistic disruption of the electron transport chain, impaired ATP production, and altered nitrogen transformation, with combined exposure more toxic than either contaminant alone.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Meta Analysis Tier 1

When antibiotics encounter microplastics in aquatic environments: Interaction, combined toxicity, and risk assessments

A meta-analysis of the combined toxicity of antibiotics and microplastics in aquatic environments found significant adverse effects on algae but limited apparent effects on fish and daphnia. Microplastics alter antibiotic environmental behavior through adsorption and co-transport, and their coexistence is widespread across global aquatic study sites, though standardized risk assessment methods for combined exposure remain lacking.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Higher toxicity induced by co-exposure of polystyrene microplastics and chloramphenicol to Microcystis aeruginosa: Experimental study and molecular dynamics simulation

Researchers studied what happens when the antibiotic chloramphenicol and polystyrene microplastics are present together in water containing blue-green algae. The study found that the combined exposure was more toxic to the algae than either pollutant alone, disrupting photosynthesis and gene expression. The findings suggest that microplastics and antibiotics may interact in ways that amplify their harmful effects on aquatic ecosystems.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined Effects of Polystyrene Nanoplastics and Enrofloxacin on the Life Histories and Gut Microbiota of Daphnia magna

Researchers exposed Daphnia magna to polystyrene nanoplastics and the antibiotic enrofloxacin alone and in combination, measuring life history traits and gut microbiota responses. Both stressors individually reduced survival and reproduction, and combined exposure altered the taxonomic composition and metabolic function of gut microbiota more than either contaminant alone.

2022 Water 19 citations
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

Single and combined effects of polystyrene nanoplastics and Cd on submerged plants Ceratophyllum demersum L.

Researchers studied the combined effects of nanoplastics and cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, on the aquatic plant Ceratophyllum demersum. They found that nanoplastics worsened cadmium's harmful effects on plant growth, photosynthesis, and cellular health, reducing growth rates by over 35%. The study suggests that when nanoplastics and heavy metals co-occur in water, their combined impact on aquatic plants may be more severe than either pollutant alone.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 51 citations
Article Tier 2

Single and combined effects of antibiotics and nanoplastics from surgical masks and plastic bottles on pathogens

Researchers examined the combined effects of nanoplastics from surgical masks and plastic bottles with antibiotics on pathogens, finding that co-exposure created synergistic toxic effects and altered antimicrobial resistance patterns in bacteria.

2022 Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part C Toxicology & Pharmacology 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics enhance the intestinal damage and genotoxicity of sulfamethoxazole to medaka juveniles (Oryzias melastigma) in coastal environment

Scientists exposed young medaka fish to the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole and polystyrene nanoplastics, both individually and together, to study their combined effects on intestinal health. They found that co-exposure caused more severe gut damage than either pollutant alone, disrupting the gut microbiome and triggering changes in gene expression related to immune defense and DNA repair. The study suggests that nanoplastics may amplify the harmful effects of antibiotics on fish in coastal environments.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of polystyrene nanoplastics and PCB-44 exposure on growth and physiological biochemistry of Chlorella vulgaris

Researchers studied the combined effects of polystyrene nanoplastics and a common industrial pollutant (PCB-44) on a freshwater green algae species over both short and long exposure periods. They found that both contaminants individually inhibited algae growth and disrupted cell functions, but their combined presence intensified the damage. The study highlights that when nanoplastics and chemical pollutants co-exist in water, they can create compounding harmful effects on aquatic organisms.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined toxic effects of nanoplastics and norfloxacin on mussel: Leveraging biochemical parameters and gut microbiota

Researchers exposed mussels to nanoplastics and the antibiotic norfloxacin, both alone and together, and found that the combination caused greater biochemical stress than either pollutant alone. Nanoplastics appeared to carry the antibiotic into mussel tissues, increasing its bioavailability and impact on gut microbiota. The findings suggest that nanoplastics can amplify the toxicity of other contaminants in marine organisms.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 30 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

Unraveling individual and combined toxicity of nano/microplastics and ciprofloxacin to Synechocystis sp. at the cellular and molecular levels

Researchers studied the individual and combined toxic effects of nano- and microplastics with the antibiotic ciprofloxacin on a freshwater cyanobacterium. They found that while each pollutant caused harm on its own, the antibiotic actually showed an antagonistic interaction with the plastic particles, reducing some of their combined toxicity. The study provides important insights into how microplastics and pharmaceutical pollutants interact in aquatic environments, which may complicate pollution risk assessments.

2021 Environment International 105 citations
Article Tier 2

The co-presence of polystyrene nanoplastics and ofloxacin demonstrates combined effects on the structure, assembly, and metabolic activities of marine microbial community

Researchers examined the combined effects of polystyrene nanoplastics and the antibiotic ofloxacin on marine microbial communities. They found that the two pollutants together had a greater impact on bacterial community structure and metabolic activity than either one alone. The study suggests that nanoplastics and antibiotics co-occurring in the ocean may work together to disrupt the microorganisms that support marine ecosystem health.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined toxic effects of enrofloxacin and microplastics on submerged plants and epiphytic biofilms in high nitrogen and phosphorus waters

Researchers studied the combined effects of the antibiotic enrofloxacin and microplastics on the submerged plant Myriophyllum verticillatum in nutrient-rich water. The study found that while microplastics alone had little effect, their combination with enrofloxacin produced synergistic toxic effects, reducing the plant's ability to absorb nitrogen and phosphorus and decreasing photosynthetic pigment content.

2022 Chemosphere 52 citations