Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Individual and combined effects of microplastics and cadmium on intestinal histology and microflora of Procypris merus

Researchers studied the individual and combined effects of microplastics and cadmium on the intestines of rice flower carp, a commercially important fish in southern China. They found that both pollutants alone caused intestinal damage and disrupted gut bacteria, but the combination produced even more severe effects. The study highlights how microplastics and heavy metals can interact to amplify harm to fish digestive health in polluted waterways.

2023 Aquaculture Reports 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined impacts of microplastics and cadmium on the liver function, immune response, and intestinal microbiota of crucian carp (Carassius carassius)

Researchers exposed crucian carp to microplastics and cadmium, both alone and together, and found the combination caused more severe liver damage and immune disruption than either pollutant alone. Co-exposure also significantly altered the fish's gut bacteria after 21 days. This is concerning because microplastics and heavy metals frequently co-occur in polluted waterways, potentially amplifying harm to aquatic life.

2023 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 52 citations
Article Tier 2

Additive effects of microplastics on accumulation and toxicity of cadmium in male zebrafish

Researchers exposed adult zebrafish to polyethylene microplastics and cadmium, both individually and in combination, for 21 days. They found that microplastics and cadmium together produced additive toxic effects, increasing cadmium accumulation in fish tissues, altering behavior, and causing more severe organ damage. The study suggests that microplastics in contaminated waterways may worsen the harmful effects of heavy metals on aquatic life.

2023 Chemosphere 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluation of single and combined effects of cadmium and micro-plastic particles on biochemical and immunological parameters of common carp (Cyprinus carpio)

Researchers investigated the individual and combined toxicity of cadmium and polystyrene microplastics on common carp over 30 days. They found that co-exposure to both pollutants produced more severe effects on liver enzymes, immune function, and biochemical markers than either pollutant alone. The study suggests that microplastics can enhance the toxicity of heavy metals in aquatic organisms, raising concerns about the combined impact of these co-occurring contaminants.

2019 Chemosphere 323 citations
Article Tier 2

Single and combined effects of microplastics and cadmium on juvenile grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus)

Researchers found that combined exposure to polystyrene microplastics and cadmium in juvenile grass carp caused greater physiological stress than either pollutant alone, with microplastics enhancing cadmium accumulation and intensifying oxidative stress and immune responses.

2022 Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part C Toxicology & Pharmacology 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Single and Combined Effects of Microplastics and Cadmium on the Cadmium Accumulation and Biochemical and Immunity of Channa argus

Researchers investigated the single and combined effects of microplastics and cadmium on juvenile snakehead fish, finding that co-exposure caused greater tissue damage, oxidative stress, and immune disruption than either pollutant alone.

2021 Biological Trace Element Research 38 citations
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

Single and combined effects of microplastics and cadmium on the cadmium accumulation, antioxidant defence and innate immunity of the discus fish (Symphysodon aequifasciatus)

Researchers studied how polystyrene microplastics interact with cadmium toxicity in discus fish and found that the presence of microplastics actually reduced cadmium accumulation in the fish's body. However, the microplastics independently caused oxidative stress and altered immune responses. The study reveals that the combined effects of microplastics and heavy metals on aquatic organisms are complex and do not simply add together.

2018 Environmental Pollution 414 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined toxic effects of cadmium and environmental microplastics in Aphanius fasciatus (Pisces, Cyprinodontidae)

Researchers found that combined exposure to cadmium and microplastics in killifish caused oxidative stress and spinal deformities, though the two pollutants did not show clear synergistic interaction, likely because microplastics reduced cadmium bioavailability.

2023 Marine Environmental Research 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Physiological response and oxidative stress of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) under single and combined toxicity of polystyrene microplastics and cadmium

Researchers examined the individual and combined toxicity of polystyrene microplastics and cadmium on grass carp. The study found that fish mortality increased with higher concentrations and that the presence of microplastics elevated cadmium concentration effects, with combined exposure inducing greater oxidative stress than either contaminant alone.

2022 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 43 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of chronic co-exposure polystyrene nanoplastics and cadmium on liver function in Prussian carp (Carassius gibelio)

Researchers exposed Prussian carp to polystyrene nanoplastics and cadmium, both individually and together, for 21 days and found that the combination caused significantly worse liver damage than either pollutant alone. The nanoplastics enhanced cadmium accumulation in the liver and amplified oxidative stress, tissue damage, and immune gene activation. The findings demonstrate that nanoplastics and heavy metals can have synergistic toxic effects on aquatic organisms.

2025 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined effects of polystyrene microplastics and cadmium on oxidative stress, apoptosis, and GH/IGF axis in zebrafish early life stages

Researchers exposed zebrafish embryos to polystyrene microplastics and cadmium, both alone and together, and found that the combination caused significantly worse effects than either pollutant individually. Co-exposure amplified oxidative stress, increased cell death in the spine and esophagus, and disrupted growth hormone pathways more severely than single exposures. The findings suggest that microplastics and heavy metals in waterways may interact to create heightened risks for developing fish.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 100 citations
Article Tier 2

Acute co-exposure to microbeads and cadmium enhances accumulation and alters plasma biochemical markers and stress indicators in Korean rockfish, Sebastes schlegeli

Researchers found that combined acute exposure of Korean rockfish to microbeads and cadmium enhanced heavy metal accumulation in fish tissues more than cadmium alone, with microplastics facilitating metal adsorption and transport in ways that increase contaminant bioavailability.

2025 Fish Physiology and Biochemistry
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

Combined toxicity of microplastics and cadmium on the zebrafish embryos (Danio rerio)

Researchers exposed zebrafish embryos to polystyrene microplastics combined with cadmium to assess their combined toxic effects on aquatic organisms. The study found that co-exposure produced greater negative impacts on survival and heart rate than either pollutant alone, with toxicity increasing in a concentration-dependent manner.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 160 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined effects of polyvinyl chloride or polypropylene microplastics with cadmium on the intestine of zebrafish at environmentally relevant concentrations

Researchers exposed zebrafish to PVC or polypropylene microplastics combined with cadmium, a toxic heavy metal often used in plastic manufacturing. The microplastics increased cadmium buildup in the fish intestines and worsened gut damage, including inflammation and disruption of the intestinal barrier. This is relevant to human health because people can be exposed to similar combinations of microplastics and heavy metals through contaminated seafood.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 11 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

Hepatic transcriptomic and histopathological responses of common carp, Cyprinus carpio, to copper and microplastic exposure

Researchers investigated how PVC microplastics interact with copper exposure in common carp over 14 days. They found that the microplastic particles acted as a vector for copper, increasing its accumulation in the liver and worsening tissue damage beyond what either pollutant caused alone. The study suggests that microplastics can amplify the toxic effects of heavy metals in freshwater fish.

2022 Marine Pollution Bulletin 49 citations
Article Tier 2

The impact of combined exposure to triphenyltin and microplastics on the oxidative stress, energy metabolism, and digestive function of common carp (Cyprinus carpio)

Exposing common carp to triphenyltin and microplastics individually and in combination found that combined exposure caused greater oxidative stress, disrupted energy metabolism more severely, and more strongly impaired digestive enzyme activity than either pollutant alone.

2025 Frontiers in Environmental Science
Article Tier 2

Comparison of the combined toxicity of polystyrene microplastics and different concentrations of cadmium in zebrafish

Researchers studied the combined toxic effects of polystyrene microplastics and cadmium at different concentrations in zebrafish over a 10-day exposure period. The study found that microplastics could either amplify or reduce cadmium toxicity depending on the metal concentration, affecting survival, growth, and antioxidant responses in complex ways.

2022 Aquatic Toxicology 58 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
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

Combined effects of polystyrene microplastics and copper on antioxidant capacity, immune response and intestinal microbiota of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

Researchers examined the combined effects of polystyrene microplastics and copper on Nile tilapia and found that co-exposure increased copper accumulation in the liver and caused tissue damage in multiple organs. High concentrations of both contaminants together triggered oxidative stress, inflammation, and shifts in intestinal microbial communities. The study suggests that microplastics can worsen the toxic effects of heavy metals on freshwater fish.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 67 citations
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