Papers

61,005 results
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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

Combined effect of polystyrene nanoparticles and chlorpyrifos to Daphnia magna

This study examined the combined effects of polystyrene nanoparticles and chlorpyrifos pesticide on Daphnia magna, a standard aquatic toxicity test organism. The two contaminants together caused greater mortality and reproductive impairment than either alone, suggesting synergistic toxicity.

2024 Chemosphere 1 citations
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

Quantification of the combined toxic effect of polychlorinated biphenyls and nano-sized polystyrene on Daphnia magna

Researchers investigated how nano-sized polystyrene particles modify the acute toxicity of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) to Daphnia magna, finding that low concentrations of nanoplastics reduced PCB toxicity by binding and sequestering the chemicals, while high nanoplastic concentrations became directly lethal, reversing the protective effect.

2018 Journal of Hazardous Materials 112 citations
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

Synergistic impact of nanoplastics and nanopesticides on Artemia salina and toxicity analysis

Researchers studied how polystyrene nanoplastics interact with nanopermethrin, a nano-sized pesticide, and their combined toxic effects on brine shrimp. The study found that nanoplastics acted as carriers for the pesticide, and the combination was significantly more toxic than either substance alone, lowering the lethal concentration from 4.5 to 3.1 mg per liter. These findings suggest that nanoplastics in the environment can amplify the harmful effects of pesticides on aquatic organisms.

2024 Nanoscale Advances 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Initial evaluation of the combined effects of nanoplastics and 17α-ethinylestradiol on D. magna

This laboratory study examined the combined effects of polystyrene nanoplastics and the synthetic estrogen ethinylestradiol on small aquatic organisms, finding that the combination had different effects than either contaminant alone. The results suggest that nanoplastics can modify how other environmental pollutants affect aquatic life, complicating risk assessment for real-world multi-contaminant exposures.

2017 Lund University Publications Student Papers (Lund University)
Article Tier 2

Nanopolystyrene size effect and its combined acute toxicity with halogenated PAHs on Daphnia magna

Researchers tested how nanopolystyrene particle size affects toxicity to Daphnia magna water fleas alone and in combination with halogenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, finding smaller particles (30 nm) were far more toxic than larger ones (1 µm) and that the plastic-chemical mixtures showed antagonistic effects — reducing combined toxicity below what either contaminant caused alone.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined toxic effects of polystyrene microplastic and benzophenone-4 on the bioaccumulation, feeding, growth, and reproduction of Daphnia magna

Researchers examined the combined toxic effects of polystyrene microplastics and the UV filter chemical benzophenone-4 on water fleas over 21 days. They found that exposure to both contaminants together caused greater harm to feeding, growth, and reproduction than either pollutant alone. The study demonstrates that microplastics and personal care product chemicals can interact to amplify their negative effects on freshwater organisms.

2024 Environmental Pollution 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene nanoplastics enhance the toxicological effects of DDE in zebrafish (Danio rerio) larvae

Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics enhanced the toxicity of the pesticide metabolite DDE in zebrafish larvae, with co-exposure causing greater developmental abnormalities and oxidative stress than either pollutant alone.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 38 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

Complex combined effects of polystyrene nanoplastics and phenanthrene in aquatic models

Researchers investigated the combined toxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics and the pollutant phenanthrene in fish cells and zebrafish larvae. They found that the interaction between nanoplastics and phenanthrene was complex and tissue-dependent, with nanoplastics increasing phenanthrene uptake in some cell types while decreasing it in others. Interestingly, zebrafish larvae experienced lower overall toxicity during co-exposure compared to single-pollutant exposure, suggesting the interaction dynamics are more nuanced than previously assumed.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Acute toxicity of triclosan, caffeine, nanoplastics, microplastics, and their mixtures on Daphnia magna

Researchers tested the acute toxicity of triclosan, caffeine, nanoplastics, and microplastics individually and in mixtures on the water flea Daphnia magna. They found that nanoplastics were more toxic than microplastics, and mixtures of these pollutants with triclosan or caffeine produced varying levels of combined toxicity. The study highlights that environmental pollutants rarely occur in isolation, and their mixtures may have unpredictable effects on aquatic organisms.

2023 Marine Pollution Bulletin 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxicological effects of microplastics and heavy metals on the Daphnia magna

Researchers studied how polystyrene microplastics of two sizes adsorb heavy metals and how their combined presence affects the water flea Daphnia magna. They found that smaller microplastics had higher adsorption capacity for metals, and the combined toxicity shifted from antagonistic to additive effects as microplastic concentrations increased. The study reveals that smaller microplastics pose a greater toxicological risk when combined with heavy metals in aquatic environments.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 184 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene Microplastics Modulate the Toxicity of the Hydrophilic Insecticide Thiacloprid for Chironomid Larvae and Also Influence Their Burrowing Behavior

Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics altered the toxicity of the hydrophilic insecticide thiamethoxam to aquatic invertebrates, with the combined exposure producing different effects than either stressor alone. The study highlights that microplastics can act as vectors that change the bioavailability and ecotoxicological impact of water-soluble pesticides.

2022 Microplastics 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Exploring the combined toxic effects of tri-n-butyl phosphate and polystyrene micro/nano-plastics on Daphnia magna under environmentally relevant concentrations

Researchers explored the combined toxic effects of the flame retardant tri-n-butyl phosphate and polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics on the water flea Daphnia magna at environmentally relevant concentrations. The study found that co-exposure to both pollutants altered gene expression related to stress responses, suggesting that the combined presence of these emerging contaminants may pose greater risks to aquatic organisms than either pollutant alone.

2025 Environmental Geochemistry and Health 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecotoxicity of emerging pollutants: Interactive impact of polystyrene nanoplastics and Metanil yellow on Artemia salina

Researchers exposed a common marine test animal, brine shrimp, to polystyrene nanoplastics combined with a synthetic yellow dye and found the mixture was far more toxic than either substance alone, killing over 93% of shrimp. The dye coated the nanoplastic surfaces, increased particle size, and amplified oxidative stress, showing that nanoplastics can make co-existing pollutants more dangerous.

2025 Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology
Article Tier 2

Changes of the acute and chronic toxicity of three antimicrobial agents to Daphnia magna in the presence/absence of micro-polystyrene

Polystyrene microplastics alone caused chronic reproductive toxicity to Daphnia magna at low milligram-per-liter concentrations and worsened the reproductive harm caused by three antimicrobial compounds (triclosan, triclocarban, and methyl-triclosan) in a concentration-dependent manner. The findings suggest microplastics can amplify the chronic toxicity of co-occurring pollutants to aquatic invertebrates.

2020 Environmental Pollution 44 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

Individual and combined multigenerational effects induced by polystyrene nanoplastic and glyphosate in Daphnia magna (Strauss, 1820)

Researchers investigated the individual and combined effects of polystyrene nanoplastics and the herbicide glyphosate on the freshwater crustacean Daphnia magna across multiple generations. They found synergistic toxicity when the two contaminants were combined, increasing immobility and reactive oxygen species production. Notably, parental exposure to the mixture caused reproductive effects that persisted into subsequent generations even without continued exposure.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 64 citations
Article Tier 2

Synergistic effect of microplastic fragments and benzophenone‐3 additives on lethal and sublethal Daphnia magna toxicity

Researchers assessed the combined effects of polyethylene microplastic fragments and the UV-filter additive benzophenone-3 on the water flea Daphnia magna. They found that microplastic fragments were significantly more acutely toxic than the dissolved additive alone, and the combination produced synergistic lethal and sublethal effects. The study highlights that microplastic particles carrying chemical additives may pose greater risks to aquatic invertebrates than either stressor in isolation.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 120 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined effects of nanoplastics and elevated temperature in the freshwater water flea Daphnia magna

This study found that polystyrene nanoplastics became more toxic to water fleas (Daphnia magna) at higher temperatures, causing more oxidative stress and a greater drop in reproduction. Warmer conditions increased how much plastic the organisms absorbed and accumulated. The findings suggest that as global temperatures rise, the harmful effects of nanoplastic pollution on aquatic life could get worse, potentially affecting species that are important food sources for fish.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 40 citations
Article Tier 2

Molecular, biochemical and behavioral responses of Daphnia magna under long-term exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics

Researchers studied the long-term effects of polystyrene nanoplastics on the water flea Daphnia magna over a 21-day exposure period at environmentally relevant concentrations. The study found molecular, biochemical, and behavioral changes even at low concentrations, suggesting that chronic exposure to nanoplastics may have significant impacts on aquatic organisms that short-term studies might miss.

2022 Environment International 77 citations
Article Tier 2

What are the toxicological effects of mixing nanoplastics with a nanopesticide on Daphnia magna and Aliivibrio fischeri?

Scientists tested what happens when tiny plastic particles (nanoplastics) mix with a common pesticide in water using small water creatures as test subjects. They found that the combination was more toxic than either pollutant alone, causing serious harm to reproduction and growth even at very low levels. This matters because these same pollutants are building up in our water systems and food chain, potentially affecting human health through the water we drink and seafood we eat.

2026 Aquatic Toxicology