Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

Integrated mRNA- and miRNA-sequencing analyses unveil the underlying mechanism of tobacco pollutant-induced developmental toxicity in zebrafish embryos

Not relevant to microplastics — this study investigates how tobacco smoke extract causes developmental toxicity in zebrafish embryos through gene expression changes, with no connection to plastic pollution.

2023 1 citations
Article Tier 2

An Integrated Metabolomics-Based Model, and Identification of Potential Biomarkers, of Perfluorooctane Sulfonic Acid Toxicity in Zebrafish Embryos

Researchers used advanced metabolomics techniques to study how the industrial chemical PFOS affects zebrafish embryo development at the molecular level. They identified specific metabolic disruptions and potential biomarkers that could indicate early PFOS exposure. The study provides new insights into how persistent environmental pollutants like PFAS interfere with biological processes during critical developmental stages.

2024 Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of Nanoplastics and Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane on Early Zebrafish Embryos Identified by Single-Cell RNA Sequencing

Researchers used single-cell RNA sequencing to study how polystyrene nanoplastics and the sunscreen chemical BMDBM affect early zebrafish embryo development. The study found that both pollutants targeted neural cells and disrupted brain development pathways, though combined exposure appeared to reduce some adverse effects compared to individual exposures, highlighting the complexity of nanoplastic interactions with co-occurring contaminants.

2021 Environmental Science & Technology 92 citations
Article Tier 2

Single‐Cell Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals Hair Cell‐Specific Molecular Responses to Polystyrene Nanoplastics in a Zebrafish Embryo Model

Researchers exposed zebrafish embryos to polystyrene nanoplastics at environmentally relevant concentrations and used single-cell RNA sequencing to identify hair cell-specific transcriptional changes in the inner ear, finding molecular-level effects without overt developmental phenotypes.

2025 Biotechnology and Applied Biochemistry
Article Tier 2

Unravelling the developmental toxicity of heavy metals using zebrafish as a model: a narrative review

This review summarizes research on how heavy metals, including cadmium, lead, mercury, and arsenic, harm developing zebrafish embryos, which share about 80% of their genes with humans. These metals cause oxidative stress, disrupt brain development, and trigger cell death at environmentally relevant levels. The findings are relevant to microplastics research because microplastics can carry and concentrate these same heavy metals, potentially worsening their toxic effects on human development.

2025 BioMetals 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxicological impacts of nanopolystyrene on zebrafish oocyte with insight into the mechanism of action: An expression-based analysis

Researchers investigated the mechanism by which nanopolystyrene causes toxicity in zebrafish oocytes, finding it triggers oxidative stress, immune disruption, and mitochondrial dysfunction through changes in key gene expression pathways.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Transcriptional effects of polyethylene microplastics ingestion in developing zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Researchers exposed developing zebrafish to polyethylene microplastics and used transcriptomic analysis to identify changes in gene expression related to immune function, lipid metabolism, and oxidative stress. The study suggests that even at relatively low concentrations, ingested microplastics can alter key biological pathways during early fish development.

2018 Environmental Pollution 176 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene Nanoplastic Exposure Induces Developmental Toxicity by Activating the Oxidative Stress Response and Base Excision Repair Pathway in Zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Researchers exposed zebrafish embryos to polystyrene nanoplastics at various concentrations and found significant developmental abnormalities including reduced hatching rates and increased malformations. The nanoplastics activated oxidative stress responses and DNA repair pathways, indicating cellular damage during critical early development stages. The study provides mechanistic evidence for how nanoplastic exposure can disrupt normal embryonic development in aquatic organisms.

2022 ACS Omega 90 citations
Article Tier 2

Molecular effects of polystyrene nanoplastics toxicity in zebrafish embryos (Danio rerio)

Researchers exposed zebrafish embryos to polystyrene nanoplastics at various concentrations and measured gene expression changes related to stress, inflammation, and DNA repair. They found dose-dependent activation of oxidative stress and apoptotic pathways at the highest concentration, along with inhibition of the neurotransmitter-related gene acetylcholinesterase and DNA repair genes. The study suggests that nanoplastic exposure at the molecular level may compromise cellular defense mechanisms and neurological function in developing fish.

2022 Chemosphere 45 citations
Article Tier 2

Adverse effects of plastic leachate and its component 2,4-DTBP on the early development of zebrafish embryos

Researchers found that leachate from UV-aged agricultural plastic mulch films causes mortality, malformation, and reduced hatching in zebrafish embryos, and identified the phenolic antioxidant additive 2,4-di-tert-butylphenol as a contributor that disrupts fat digestion, pancreatic function, and energy metabolism at the transcriptomic level.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 18 citations
Article Tier 2

New insight into long-term effects of phthalates microplastics in developing zebrafish: Evidence from genomic alteration and organ development

Researchers investigated the long-term developmental effects of three common plasticizers (DBP, DEP, and DEHP) leaching from microplastics on zebrafish larvae. The study found that phthalate exposure caused higher mortality, morphological abnormalities, and significant changes in genes related to cardiovascular development, tail formation, and other critical developmental pathways.

2023 Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Pathway analysis of systemic transcriptome responses to injected polystyrene particles in zebrafish larvae

Researchers injected fluorescent polystyrene particles into zebrafish embryos at different developmental stages and tracked their distribution and biological effects using imaging and transcriptomics. Particles injected into the yolk of older embryos spread through the bloodstream and accumulated near the heart, triggering strong immune and inflammatory gene responses. The study reveals that even localized microplastic exposure can produce system-wide biological effects in developing organisms.

2017 Aquatic Toxicology 200 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxicity evaluation of the combination of emerging pollutants with polyethylene microplastics in zebrafish: Perspective study of genotoxicity, mutagenicity, and redox unbalance

Researchers exposed adult zebrafish to polyethylene microplastics combined with a mixture of common water pollutants for 15 days and assessed DNA damage, mutation rates, and oxidative stress. They found that microplastics alone caused DNA damage and nuclear abnormalities as severe as those caused by the pollutant mixture, challenging the assumption that microplastics are less harmful than chemical contaminants. The study revealed that the fish's antioxidant defenses were overwhelmed across multiple organs, suggesting widespread oxidative damage from microplastic exposure.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 93 citations
Article Tier 2

Surgical face masks as a source of emergent pollutants in aquatic systems: Analysis of their degradation product effects in Danio rerio through RNA-Seq.

Researchers used RNA-Seq analysis to reveal that degradation products from surgical face masks caused significant toxicogenomic effects in zebrafish, identifying these pandemic-era disposable masks as an emerging source of microplastic and chemical pollution in aquatic systems.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 47 citations
Article Tier 2

Prediction and validation of regulatory role of microRNAs in zebrafish (Danio rerio) responses to nanoparticle exposure with in silico and in vitro toxicological approaches

This thesis developed in silico and in vitro methods to predict how microRNAs regulate zebrafish responses to nanoparticle exposure, providing new tools for assessing nanoparticle toxicity. As nanoplastics are a type of nanoparticle, these methods have direct application to understanding how nanoplastics affect aquatic organisms at the molecular level.

2019 Electronic Theses of LMU Munich (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München)
Article Tier 2

Maternal polystyrene nanoplastics suppress zebrafish offspring development and locomotion through mitochondrial dysfunction

Researchers found that zebrafish mothers exposed to nanoplastics at environmentally relevant concentrations passed developmental harm to offspring, with transcriptomic analysis pointing to suppressed oxidative phosphorylation genes as the mechanism — showing nanoplastics can impair embryo energy metabolism across generations even when offspring are not directly exposed.

2025 Environmental Pollution 2 citations
Article Tier 2

The time-dependent variations of zebrafish intestine and gill after polyethylene microplastics exposure

Researchers found that polyethylene microplastic exposure caused time-dependent changes in zebrafish intestinal and gill gene expression, with 186 differentially expressed genes in the intestine revealing molecular mechanisms of MP-induced organ damage.

2021 Ecotoxicology 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Lipophagy suppression: a novel mechanism for developmental disruption by nanoplastics/MC-LR in zebrafish

Researchers co-exposed zebrafish embryos to polystyrene nanoplastics and microcystin-LR (a cyanobacterial toxin) and found that combined exposure suppressed lipophagy—a cellular process that breaks down lipid droplets—more severely than either substance alone. Disruption of lipophagy impaired early development, identifying this autophagy pathway as a novel target for nanoplastic developmental toxicity.

2025 Environment International
Article Tier 2

Exploring developmental toxicity of microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPS): Insights from investigations using zebrafish embryos

This review summarizes research on how micro- and nanoplastics harm embryo development using zebrafish as a model organism that shares genetic similarities with humans. Studies show these tiny plastic particles cause damage to the brain, heart, gut, and immune system of developing embryos, largely through oxidative stress and cell death pathways.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Transcriptome and Gene Family Analyses Reveal the Physiological and Immune Regulatory Mechanisms of Channa maculata Larvae in Response to Nanoplastic-Induced Oxidative Stress

Researchers exposed larvae of blotched snakehead fish to polystyrene nanoplastics at concentrations ranging from 0.05 to 20 mg/L and observed concentration-dependent damage to the liver and intestines. The nanoplastics triggered oxidative stress responses and affected genes involved in immune regulation and detoxification. The study suggests that nanoplastic pollution during early fish development could compromise both organ function and immune defenses.

2026 Antioxidants
Article Tier 2

Realistic microplastics harness bacterial presence and promote impairments in early zebrafish embryos: Behavioral, developmental, and transcriptomic approaches.

Researchers exposed zebrafish embryos to realistic microplastic fragments and fibers from bottles and textiles, both alone and combined with a bacterial pathogen. They found that microplastics adhered to egg surfaces and accelerated hatching, while fragments were more harmful to development than fibers. The study provides new insights into how microplastics interact with environmental pathogens to affect early life stages of aquatic organisms.

2024 Chemosphere 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecotoxicological effects of emerging pollutants (nanomaterials and microplastics) on fish biology

This review compiles current knowledge on how emerging pollutants including nanomaterials and microplastics affect fish biology, covering impacts on physiology, behavior, and molecular function. Researchers highlight that advanced methods like genomics and micro-CT imaging are revealing new details about how these pollutants damage fish at the cellular and tissue level. The study underscores the growing threat these contaminants pose to aquatic ecosystems and the fish species within them.

2025 Animal Reports 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics impact the zebrafish (Danio rerio) transcriptome: Associated developmental and neurobehavioral consequences

Researchers exposed developing zebrafish larvae to polystyrene nanoplastics of two sizes and found dose-dependent accumulation in tissues along with swimming hyperactivity, despite no effects on mortality or hatching. Transcriptomic analysis revealed changes in gene expression associated with neurodegeneration and motor dysfunction at both high and low concentrations. The study suggests that nanoplastic exposure during early development can alter brain function and behavior in ways that may reduce organismal fitness.

2020 Environmental Pollution 150 citations
Article Tier 2

Mitochondrial dysfunction and lipometabolic disturbance induced by the co-effect of polystyrene nanoplastics and copper impede early life stage development of zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Researchers found that co-exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics and copper at environmentally relevant concentrations caused mitochondrial dysfunction and lipid metabolism disruption in zebrafish embryos, impairing early development and survival more severely than either contaminant alone.

2022 Environmental Science Nano 7 citations