Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Physiological and transcriptomic responses of seawater halobios to micro/nano-scale polystyrene-cadmium exposure in a marine food web.

Using a marine food web model with algae, shrimp, and fish, researchers showed that combined polystyrene microplastic and cadmium exposure caused greater physiological harm than either pollutant alone, with toxicity and bioaccumulation amplified at each trophic level.

2024 Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987)
Article Tier 2

The combined effects of microplastics and the heavy metal cadmium on the marine periphytic ciliate Euplotes vannus

Researchers studied the combined toxic effects of polystyrene microplastics and the heavy metal cadmium on the marine ciliate Euplotes vannus. The study found that microplastics and cadmium together produced joint toxic effects on these single-celled organisms, which play important roles in marine food webs. Evidence indicates that microplastics may increase the bioavailability of heavy metals to marine microorganisms at the base of the food chain.

2022 Environmental Pollution 54 citations
Article Tier 2

Enhanced microalgal toxicity due to polystyrene nanoplastics and cadmium co-exposure: From the perspective of physiological and metabolomic profiles

Researchers studied the combined toxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics and cadmium on the microalga Euglena gracilis and found that co-exposure produced synergistic effects, inhibiting growth by nearly 29%. The organisms activated antioxidant defenses and showed significant disruptions in carbohydrate, lipid, and amino acid metabolism. The findings suggest that nanoplastics and heavy metals together pose greater risks to aquatic microorganisms than either pollutant alone.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 106 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxic effects on ciliates under nano-/micro-plastics coexist with silver nanoparticles

Researchers tested the combined effects of different-sized plastic particles with silver nanoparticles on marine microorganisms and found that the mixture was more toxic than either pollutant alone. Smaller nanoplastics combined with silver nanoparticles caused the most severe damage, disrupting energy and fat metabolism and causing DNA and protein damage. This study shows how microplastics can amplify the toxicity of other environmental pollutants in marine food chains.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 32 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics at an environmentally relevant dose enhance mercury toxicity in a marine copepod under multigenerational exposure: Multi-omics perspective

Researchers exposed tiny marine organisms called copepods to microplastics and mercury together across three generations at levels found in the environment. While microplastics alone had little effect, they made mercury much more toxic by increasing how much mercury built up in the organisms' bodies. This study shows that microplastics can act as carriers that amplify the harmful effects of other environmental pollutants, with the damage worsening over generations.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Integrated analysis of zebrafish gut microbiota and liver transcriptome responses to polystyrene microplastics and cadmium

Researchers exposed zebrafish to polystyrene microplastics and cadmium, both individually and combined, and found that combined exposure caused more severe disruption to gut bacteria and liver gene expression than either pollutant alone. The study revealed that microplastics decreased beneficial gut bacteria while increasing pathogenic species, and the combined treatment suppressed liver xenobiotic metabolism and antioxidant pathways.

2026 Aquaculture Reports
Article Tier 2

Redefining the synergistic toxicity of nano-plastics and cadmium in earthworm coelomocytes: the mechanism of α-amylase molecular docking orientation and energy crisis

Researchers exposed earthworm immune cells (coelomocytes) to polystyrene nanoplastics combined with the heavy metal cadmium, finding that nanoplastics act as carriers that amplify cadmium uptake and worsen oxidative stress, energy metabolism disruption, and enzyme damage beyond what cadmium causes alone.

2025 International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecotoxicological risk of microplastics for marine organisms

Italian researchers studied whether microplastics act as vectors for chemical pollutants by measuring how pyrene and cadmium adsorb onto polyethylene and polystyrene microplastics and transfer to mussels. They found evidence of contaminant transfer and cellular stress responses, raising concerns about the combined toxicity of microplastics and their associated chemicals.

2016 Università Politecnica delle Marche (Università Politecnica delle Marche)
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

Influence of microplastics on the accumulation and chronic toxic effects of cadmium in zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Researchers exposed zebrafish to polystyrene microplastics combined with cadmium for three weeks and found that the presence of microplastics significantly increased cadmium accumulation in the liver, gut, and gills. The combined exposure caused greater oxidative damage, tissue inflammation, and disruption of protective gene activity than either pollutant alone. The study demonstrates that microplastics can enhance the toxicity of heavy metals in fish by acting as carriers that increase the body's uptake of harmful substances.

2018 Chemosphere 461 citations
Article Tier 2

Adverse Effects of Co-Exposure to Cd and Microplastic in Tigriopus japonicus

Researchers exposed the marine copepod Tigriopus japonicus to combined cadmium and polystyrene microplastic exposure using a full concentration-response design. Co-exposure increased toxicity compared to either contaminant alone, with effects on survival, reproduction, and development, indicating synergistic or additive interactions between cadmium and microplastics.

2022 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Transcriptomic analysis reveals interactive effects of polyvinyl chloride microplastics and cadmium on Mytilus galloprovincialis: Insights into non-coding RNA responses and environmental implications

Researchers used whole-transcriptome sequencing to study how mussels respond at the molecular level to combined exposure to PVC microplastics and cadmium. They found that the combined pollutants triggered distinct gene expression patterns, particularly in non-coding RNAs involved in immune and stress responses. The study suggests that microplastics and heavy metals together may cause more complex biological effects than either pollutant alone.

2024 Aquatic Toxicology 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxicity Effects of Microplastics and Nanoplastics with Cadmium on the Alga Microcystis Aeruginosa

This study tested how microplastics and nanoplastics interact with the heavy metal cadmium to affect the growth of a common freshwater algae, finding that combined exposure was more harmful than either contaminant alone. Nanoplastics adsorbed more cadmium per particle but their smaller size enabled them to penetrate algal cells more easily, with complex effects on cellular toxicity.

2021 Research Square (Research Square) 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene nanoplastics distinctly impact cadmium uptake and toxicity in Arabidopsis thaliana

In a study using the model plant Arabidopsis, polystyrene nanoplastics increased the uptake and accumulation of the toxic heavy metal cadmium in plant roots. The combined stress of nanoplastics and cadmium caused worse oxidative damage and growth problems than either pollutant alone. This is concerning because it means microplastics in agricultural soil could help toxic metals get into crops more easily, potentially increasing human exposure through food.

2024 Environmental Pollution 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Multi-Biomarker Responses of Asian Clam Corbicula fluminea (Bivalvia, Corbiculidea) to Cadmium and Microplastics Pollutants

Researchers exposed Asian clams to cadmium, microplastics, and their mixtures, then measured a battery of biomarkers including oxidative stress, energy metabolism, and neurotoxicity indicators. They found that the combined exposure to cadmium and microplastics produced interactive effects that differed from exposure to either contaminant alone. The study demonstrates that microplastics can modify the toxicity of heavy metals in freshwater bivalves, highlighting the importance of studying pollutant mixtures rather than individual contaminants.

2021 Water 61 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics increase algal absorption and toxicity of Cd through alterations in cell wall structure and composition

Lab experiments showed that polystyrene nanoplastics made freshwater algae more vulnerable to cadmium (a toxic heavy metal) by altering the structure of their cell walls, allowing more cadmium to enter the cells. This matters for human health because nanoplastics in waterways may increase how much toxic metal accumulates in aquatic food chains that eventually reach our plates.

2024 Water Research 47 citations
Article Tier 2

Impacts of Microplastics, Cadmium, and Their Mixtures on Biochemical Biomarkers in the Freshwater Bivalve Corbicula fluminea (Bivalvia, Corbiculidea)

This study evaluated the combined impacts of microplastics and cadmium on biochemical biomarkers in a freshwater organism, finding that co-exposure caused greater oxidative stress and cellular damage than either contaminant alone. Microplastics appear to enhance cadmium bioavailability and toxicity.

2024 Diversity 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Pathway-dependent toxic interaction between polystyrene microbeads and methylmercury on the brackish water flea Diaphanosoma celebensis: Based on mercury bioaccumulation, cytotoxicity, and transcriptomic analysis

Researchers studied how polystyrene microplastics interact with methylmercury toxicity in a small marine crustacean. They found that co-exposure to microplastics actually reduced mercury accumulation and some toxic effects, but the combination triggered synergistic harm to DNA replication processes. The study highlights that microplastics can alter mercury toxicity in complex ways depending on the biological pathway involved.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of Exposure to Cadmium, Microplastics, and Their Mixture on Survival, Growth, Feeding, and Life History of Daphnia magna

Researchers examined how polyethylene microplastics altered cadmium toxicity to Daphnia magna, finding that microplastic co-exposure modified cadmium bioavailability and affected survival, growth, feeding rates, and reproductive outcomes in this ecologically important species.

2023 Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 9 citations
Article Tier 2

The Combined Effects of Cadmium and Microplastic Mixtures on the Digestion, Energy Metabolism, Oxidative Stress Regulation, Immune Function, and Metabolomes in the Pearl Oyster (Pinctada fucata martensii)

Researchers studied the combined effects of cadmium and microplastics on pearl oysters, measuring impacts on digestion, energy use, immune function, and metabolism. They found that co-exposure to both pollutants caused more severe damage than either alone, disrupting the oysters' antioxidant defenses and metabolic processes. The study highlights the compounding threat that metal and microplastic pollution together pose to marine shellfish.

2025 Fishes 3 citations