Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Exposure route affects the distribution and toxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics in zebrafish

Researchers compared waterborne versus microinjection exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics in zebrafish and found that aqueous exposure delivered higher nanoplastic concentrations to the brain and eyes, caused greater developmental abnormalities, reduced antioxidant gene expression, and produced more severe behavioral effects than direct injection, highlighting exposure route as a critical variable in nanoplastic toxicity.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 110 citations
Article Tier 2

Caught in Fish Gut: Uptake and Inflammatory Effects of Nanoplastics through Different Routes in the Aquatic Environment

Researchers investigated how nanoplastics accumulate in zebrafish intestines through different exposure routes, including waterborne, foodborne, and combined pathways. They found that while foodborne exposure led to higher particle accumulation, both routes caused similar levels of intestinal inflammation and immune disruption. The study suggests that current risk assessments based on single-route exposure may underestimate the true danger of nanoplastic pollution in aquatic environments.

2023 ACS ES&T Water 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Uptake, bioaccumulation, biodistribution and depuration of polystyrene nanoplastics in zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Researchers used advanced mass spectrometry to track how polystyrene nanoplastics accumulate in and are cleared from zebrafish tissues over time. The nanoplastics concentrated most in the intestine, liver, and gills, with only partial clearance after the exposure ended. This study provides important data on how persistent nanoplastics can be in living organisms, which helps scientists better assess the long-term risks of plastic particle exposure.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 53 citations
Article Tier 2

Uptake Routes and Biodistribution of Polystyrene Nanoplastics on Zebrafish Larvae and Toxic Effects on Development

Researchers exposed zebrafish embryos and larvae to amino-modified polystyrene nanoplastics to study uptake routes and biodistribution. The study found that nanoplastics accumulated in target organs and caused toxic developmental effects, providing evidence that these tiny plastic fragments can penetrate biological barriers and interfere with normal development in aquatic organisms.

2023 Fishes 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Size-dependent and tissue specific accumulation of polystyrene microplastics and nanoplastics in zebrafish

Researchers tracked size-dependent accumulation of polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics in multiple zebrafish tissues, finding that smaller particles distributed more broadly throughout the body compared to larger ones. Nanoplastics showed greater systemic distribution including into brain and reproductive tissues, raising concerns about size-dependent health risks.

2025 Aquatic Toxicology
Article Tier 2

Bioaccumulation of various nanoplastic particles in larval zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Researchers exposed larval zebrafish (Danio rerio) to 40-60 nm and 100 nm polystyrene nanoplastic particles using standard fish embryo toxicity and general behavioral toxicity assays from 6-120 hours post-fertilization, combining toxicity endpoints with fluorescence microscopy to confirm particle uptake and excretion. The study demonstrated nanoplastic accumulation within zebrafish larvae at tested concentrations, providing mechanistic insights into aquatic organism exposure dynamics for nanoplastics.

2022 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Recognition and movement of polystyrene nanoplastics in fish cells

Researchers tracked how zebrafish cells take up, transport, and release three types of polystyrene nanoplastics with different surface modifications. They found that cell uptake peaked within two hours and occurred mainly through specific cellular pathways, with the particles initially entering the cytoplasm before being transported to lysosomes. The nanoplastics were retained in cells for 10 to 15 hours depending on surface chemistry, highlighting the importance of understanding how these particles move through biological systems.

2022 Environmental Pollution 40 citations
Article Tier 2

Concurrent water- and foodborne exposure to microplastics leads to differential microplastic ingestion and neurotoxic effects in zebrafish

Researchers compared how zebrafish are affected by microplastics ingested directly from water versus through their food chain. They found that the route of exposure made a significant difference, with food-chain transfer leading to different patterns of microplastic accumulation and more pronounced neurotoxic effects than waterborne exposure alone. The study highlights that trophic transfer is an important but often overlooked pathway for microplastic exposure in aquatic organisms.

2022 Water Research 116 citations
Article Tier 2

Qualitative and quantitative analysis of accumulation and biodistribution of polystyrene nanoplastics in zebrafish (Danio rerio) via artificial freshwater

Researchers developed MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry methods to accurately track polystyrene nanoplastic accumulation and biodistribution across zebrafish tissues after waterborne exposure, enabling precise quantitative analysis of nanoplastic uptake.

2023 Environmental Science Nano 8 citations
Article Tier 2

[Exposure Pathways of Polystyrene Nanoplastics Mediate Their Cellular Distribution and Toxicity].

This study found that the route by which polystyrene nanoplastics enter the body determines which liver cell types accumulate the particles and what toxic effects occur, demonstrating that exposure pathway—not just dose—shapes nanoplastic toxicity in hepatic tissue.

2025 PubMed
Article Tier 2

Bioaccumulation and homeostatic alterations in trout exposed to a sublethal dose of polystyrene nanoplastics

Researchers orally exposed rainbow trout to polystyrene nanoplastics and found the particles accumulated mainly in the gut and blood — not the liver — causing subtle immune and metabolic changes without visible tissue damage after 96 hours. These findings suggest nanoplastics selectively distribute in fish tissues and trigger mild biological responses even at sublethal doses.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances
Article Tier 2

Blood uptake and urine excretion of nano- and micro-plastics after a single exposure.

Mice exposed to polystyrene nanoparticles (100 nm) and microparticles (3 µm) via different routes showed that smaller particles appeared rapidly in blood and were detected in urine, while larger particles cleared more slowly. The study provides direct evidence that nanoplastics can cross biological barriers and enter circulation, with potential for distribution throughout the body.

2022 The Science of the total environment
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene nanoplastics accumulate in ZFL cell lysosomes and in zebrafish larvae after acute exposure, inducing a synergistic immune response in vitro without affecting larval survival in vivo

Polystyrene nanoplastics were shown to be internalized in zebrafish liver cells and accumulate in lysosomes, and while they triggered an immune response in cell cultures, they did not affect larval zebrafish survival in short-term exposures. This suggests that cellular toxicity may not always translate directly to whole-organism mortality at acute exposure levels.

2020 Environmental Science Nano 54 citations
Article Tier 2

Oppositely charged proteins lead to different effects on the bioaccumulation kinetics of polystyrene nanoplastics in zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Researchers studied how positively and negatively charged proteins in water affect the bioaccumulation of polystyrene nanoplastics in zebrafish. The study found that different protein types altered nanoplastic uptake kinetics in distinct ways, suggesting that the natural protein environment in water bodies plays an important role in determining how nanoplastics accumulate in aquatic organisms.

2025 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Uptake, tissue distribution, and toxicity of polystyrene nanoparticles in developing zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Researchers tracked the uptake and distribution of polystyrene nanoparticles in developing zebrafish and found that the particles accumulated in the yolk sac and then spread to the brain, liver, heart, and other organs. While the nanoparticles did not cause significant mortality or deformities, they did reduce heart rate and alter swimming behavior. The study suggests that nanoplastics can penetrate biological barriers and accumulate in multiple tissues during early development.

2017 Aquatic Toxicology 614 citations
Article Tier 2

Trophic transfer of nanoplastics reduces larval survival of marine fish more than waterborne exposure

This study compared direct waterborne exposure versus trophic transfer of micro- and nanoplastics on marine fish larvae, finding that trophic transfer caused significantly higher larval mortality. The results suggest that dietary uptake through the food web is a more dangerous exposure route than direct water contact for early-stage fish.

2025 The Science of The Total Environment
Article Tier 2

Size matters: Zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a model to study toxicity of nanoplastics from cells to the whole organism

Researchers used zebrafish as a model organism to study the toxic effects of polystyrene nanoplastics at both cellular and whole-organism levels. They found that smaller nanoplastic particles were taken up more readily by cells and caused greater oxidative stress and developmental abnormalities than larger particles. The study confirms that particle size is a critical determinant of nanoplastic toxicity, with the smallest particles posing the greatest biological risks.

2020 Environmental Pollution 152 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics transport in zebrafish brain: Molecular and phenotypic behavioral impacts

This study tracked how nanoplastics of two sizes (50 nm and 200 nm) accumulate in and clear from zebrafish brains. Smaller nanoplastics built up more and lasted longer in the brain, causing greater damage to neurons and more behavioral changes like reduced activity and impaired learning. The findings suggest that the tiniest plastic particles may pose the most risk to brain health because they are harder for the body to remove.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Deciphering size-dependent inter-organ translocation of nanoplastics in fish using metal-labeled proxies and physiologically based toxicokinetic modeling

Researchers used metal-tagged nanoplastics to track how particles of two different sizes (50 nm and 200 nm) traveled through organs in zebrafish, finding that smaller particles spread more widely and recirculated longer, while gills were the primary entry route in water and the intestine was the main exit — providing the first detailed mathematical model of how nanoplastics move through a fish's body.

2025 Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Lipid-Rich diet protects aquatic vertebrates by reducing polystyrene nanoparticles deposition and alleviating harmful effects from exposure

Researchers showed in zebrafish that polystyrene nanoplastics accumulate selectively in a narrow intestinal segment and alter immune and lipid metabolism gene expression, and that a lipid-rich diet significantly reduced intestinal nanoplastic deposition and partially restored normal transcriptomic profiles.

2025 Aquatic Toxicology
Article Tier 2

Mechanisms Underlying the Size-Dependent Neurotoxicity of Polystyrene Nanoplastics in Zebrafish

Scientists discovered that smaller nanoplastics cause more severe brain and nerve damage in zebrafish than larger ones, and identified the molecular pathways behind this size-dependent toxicity. The smaller particles more easily crossed biological barriers and triggered greater oxidative stress and inflammation in the nervous system, which is important for understanding potential neurological risks of nanoplastic exposure.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Mercury can be transported into marine copepod by polystyrene nanoplastics but is not bioaccumulated: An increased risk?

Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics can transport mercury into marine copepods, but the mercury is not bioaccumulated, suggesting nanoplastics may alter contaminant exposure pathways without necessarily increasing long-term body burdens.

2022 Environmental Pollution 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Uptake and Accumulation of Polystyrene Microplastics in Zebrafish (Danio rerio) and Toxic Effects in Liver

Researchers exposed zebrafish to polystyrene microplastics of two different sizes and tracked where the particles accumulated in the body. They found that smaller particles (5 micrometers) built up in the gills, liver, and gut, while larger particles (20 micrometers) mainly stayed in the gills and gut. The microplastics caused liver inflammation, oxidative stress, and disrupted fat metabolism, suggesting that ingested microplastics can damage internal organs in fish.

2016 Environmental Science & Technology 1980 citations
Article Tier 2

Exposure pathway derived accumulation of microplastics in freshwater fish: A critical review

This systematic review of 78 field and laboratory studies synthesized how microplastics accumulate in different freshwater fish tissues depending on exposure pathway, finding that gill-filtered and orally ingested particles follow distinct tissue distribution patterns.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials