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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Seawater Accelerated the Aging of Polystyrene and Enhanced Its Toxic Effects on Caenorhabditis elegans
ClearPhotoaged polystyrene nanoplastics exposure results in reproductive toxicity due to oxidative damage in Caenorhabditis elegans
Researchers exposed the roundworm C. elegans to polystyrene nanoplastics that had been aged by sunlight, simulating real-world environmental conditions. The study found that these weathered nanoplastics caused more severe reproductive harm than pristine particles, primarily through increased oxidative stress, suggesting that aging makes plastic particles more toxic to living organisms.
Reproductive toxicity of UV-photodegraded polystyrene microplastics induced by DNA damage-dependent cell apoptosis in Caenorhabditis elegans
Researchers investigated how UV-photodegraded polystyrene microplastics affect reproduction in the nematode C. elegans at environmentally relevant concentrations. The study found that aged microplastics caused more severe reproductive toxicity than pristine ones, operating through a DNA damage-induced cell death pathway, suggesting that weathered microplastics in the environment may pose greater biological risks.
Biochemical and physiological effects of multigenerational exposure to spheric polystyrene microplastics in Caenorhabditis elegans
Researchers found that multigenerational exposure of C. elegans to polystyrene microplastics at low concentrations triggered oxidative stress, increased detoxification enzyme activity, and caused accumulating physiological effects across five consecutive generations.
Toxic effects of pristine and aged polystyrene and their leachate on marine microalgae Skeletonema costatum
Researchers compared the toxic effects of pristine and aged polystyrene microplastics, as well as their chemical leachates, on the marine microalga Skeletonema costatum. The study found that aged microplastics and their leachates caused greater growth inhibition, reduced chlorophyll concentration, and triggered stronger oxidative stress responses than pristine particles, suggesting that environmental weathering increases the toxicity of plastic debris.
Different Toxic Effects of Polystyrene Microplastics and Nanoplastics on Caenorhabditis elegans
Researchers compared the toxicity of 2-μm polystyrene microplastics and 0.1-μm nanoplastics in C. elegans, finding both impaired growth, locomotion, reproduction, and lifespan at 1 mg/L and above, with microplastics causing greater locomotion and reproductive toxicity and nanoplastics inducing stronger oxidative stress.
Aged polystyrene microplastics cause reproductive impairment via DNA-damage induced apoptosis in Caenorhabditis elegans
Researchers found that sunlight-aged polystyrene microplastics caused significantly more reproductive damage than fresh microplastics in a laboratory worm model. The aged particles triggered DNA damage and programmed cell death in reproductive tissue through a specific signaling pathway. This matters because microplastics in the real environment are typically weathered by sunlight, making them potentially more harmful to fertility than laboratory studies using new plastics would suggest.
Potential toxicity of nanopolystyrene on lifespan and aging process of nematode Caenorhabditis elegans
Researchers chronically exposed C. elegans to nanopolystyrene across their aging lifespan and found that high concentrations shortened lifespan while lower concentrations still impaired locomotion and elevated intestinal reactive oxygen species in older animals, with nanoplastic exposure progressively suppressing immune genes, antioxidant defenses, and mitochondrial stress responses as worms aged.
UV-aged nanoplastics induced stronger biotoxicity to earthworms: Differential effects and the underlying mechanisms of pristine and aged polystyrene nanoplastics
Researchers compared the toxicity of pristine versus UV-aged polystyrene nanoplastics on earthworms and found that aged nanoplastics caused significantly stronger harmful effects. At higher concentrations, aged nanoplastics increased earthworm mortality by 11.1% and reduced reproduction, with the enhanced toxicity attributed to changes in surface properties that occur during environmental UV weathering.
Understanding the hazards induced by microplastics in different environmental conditions
Researchers subjected four common plastic types to accelerated aging under UV light, enzyme exposure, and seawater conditions to understand how environmental stress transforms microplastics. They found that seawater conditions caused the greatest size reduction, with polyethylene shrinking by over 87%, along with significant chemical changes including the formation of oxygen-containing functional groups. The study suggests that environmentally weathered microplastics, particularly polyethylene exposed to ocean conditions, may pose greater potential health hazards than pristine particles.
Environmentally persistent free radicals on photoaging microplastics shortens longevity via inducing oxidative stress in Caenorhabditis elegans
Researchers found that microplastics aged by sunlight develop persistent free radicals on their surface that are more toxic than fresh microplastics. In experiments with a common laboratory worm, these sun-aged microplastics caused significant oxidative stress and shortened lifespan. This is important because most microplastics in the real world have been exposed to sunlight, meaning their actual health risks may be greater than studies using brand-new plastic particles would suggest.
Environmentally persistent free radicals on photoaged nanopolystyrene induce neurotoxicity by affecting dopamine, glutamate, serotonin and GABA in Caenorhabditis elegans
Researchers found that when polystyrene nanoplastics age under sunlight, they generate environmentally persistent free radicals on their surface that make them significantly more toxic to the nervous system. Using the model organism C. elegans, they showed that aged nanoplastics disrupted movement and reduced levels of key neurotransmitters including dopamine, serotonin, and GABA. The study suggests that weathered nanoplastics in the environment may pose greater neurological risks than freshly produced particles.
New Insights into the Mechanisms of Toxicity of Aging Microplastics
This study showed that UV-aged polypropylene microplastics are significantly more toxic than fresh ones, absorbing more chemicals and generating more harmful reactive oxygen species in seawater. The aged particles caused greater damage to cell membranes in mussels compared to pristine plastics. Since most microplastics in the ocean have been weathered by sunlight, real-world exposure risks may be higher than laboratory studies using new plastics suggest.
Polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs) toxicity induced oxidative stress and intestinal injury in nematode Caenorhabditis elegans
Researchers exposed the nematode C. elegans to various concentrations of polystyrene microplastics and measured physiological, biochemical, and molecular responses. The study found that microplastics accumulated in the intestine and caused oxidative stress, intestinal injury, and adverse physiological effects at concentrations as low as 1 microgram per liter, suggesting that even low-level microplastic exposure can damage gut tissues.
Sorption processes of wastewater contaminants on virgin and aged polystyrene microplastics: physicochemical changes and cellular toxicity assessment
Researchers exposed 1 µm polystyrene microplastics (virgin and thermo-oxidation aged) to wastewater and then assessed their adsorption behaviour and cytotoxicity. Aged MPs adsorbed more contaminants from wastewater and showed greater cytotoxicity to human cells than virgin MPs, demonstrating that environmental ageing amplifies the health risks of microplastics.
Naturally weathered polypropylene microplastic from environment and its toxic behaviour in Artemia salina
Researchers compared the toxicological effects of naturally weathered versus newly prepared polypropylene microplastics on the brine shrimp Artemia salina. They found that weathered microplastics caused significantly higher oxidative stress, reactive oxygen species generation, and enzyme activity changes compared to new particles. The study underscores that environmental aging makes microplastics more harmful to aquatic organisms, highlighting the importance of studying real-world weathered particles rather than only pristine laboratory samples.
Comparison of reproductive toxicity between pristine and aged polylactic acid microplastics in Caenorhabditis elegans
This study compared the effects of new versus UV-aged biodegradable PLA microplastics on reproductive health using a worm model, finding that aged particles caused significantly more reproductive damage and DNA injury. The results suggest that biodegradable plastics become more toxic as they weather in the environment, which matters because these aged particles are what organisms, including humans, are most likely to encounter.
Polystyrene (nano)microplastics cause size-dependent neurotoxicity, oxidative damage and other adverse effects inCaenorhabditis elegans
Researchers found that polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics cause neurotoxicity and oxidative damage in the model organism C. elegans, with effects varying by particle size. Smaller nanoscale particles tended to cause more severe toxic responses than larger microplastic particles. The study highlights that the size of plastic particles is an important factor in determining how harmful they are to living organisms.
Aged polystyrene microplastics exposure affects apoptosis via inducing mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress in early life of zebrafish
Zebrafish embryos exposed to UV-aged polystyrene microplastics at environmental concentrations showed more severe developmental problems than those exposed to fresh microplastics. The aged particles caused greater oxidative stress and mitochondrial damage, triggering increased cell death during early development -- suggesting that weathered microplastics in the real environment may be more harmful than the pristine particles typically used in lab studies.
Microbial colonization of microplastics in wastewater accelerates the aging process associated with oxidative stress and the insulin/IGF1 signaling pathway
Researchers found that microbial colonization of polystyrene microplastics in wastewater accelerates their aging and increases toxicity in organisms, with biofilm-developed microplastics inducing oxidative stress and affecting lifespan through the insulin/IGF1 signaling pathway.
UV-B radiation aging changed the environmental behavior of polystyrene micro-/nanoplastics-adsorption kinetics of BDE-47, plankton toxicities and joint toxicities with BDE-47
Researchers examined how UV-B radiation aging changes the behavior and toxicity of polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics in marine environments. They found that 30 days of UV-B aging increased the surface roughness, hydrophobicity, and pollutant adsorption capacity of the particles, while also increasing their individual toxicity to marine plankton. The study suggests that environmentally aged microplastics may pose different and potentially greater ecological risks than pristine particles.
Multigenerational growth inhibition and oxidative stress of polystyrene micro(nano)plastics on earthworms (Eisenia fetida)
Researchers exposed earthworms to polystyrene nano- and microplastics across two generations, finding both particle types reduced offspring numbers by 23–39%, disrupted reproductive tissue structure, and caused oxidative stress, with nanoplastics producing more severe multigenerational effects.
A new concept for the ecotoxicological assessment of plastics under consideration of aging processes
A new ecotoxicological assessment approach for plastic leachates derived from alternating UV and hydrolysis weathering found that polystyrene leachates produced measurable algae growth inhibition and that oxidized polymer degradation products may be more bioavailable and toxic than pristine particles.
Impact of aged and virgin microplastics on sedimentary nitrogen cycling and microbial ecosystems in estuaries
Researchers compared how weathered versus new microplastics affect nitrogen cycling in estuary sediments and found that aged microplastics had a faster, more significant impact on key processes like denitrification. Weathered polystyrene particles also increased nitrous oxide emissions, a potent greenhouse gas. The study suggests that the environmental risks of microplastics grow as they age and weather in natural settings.
Impact of Degradation of Polyethylene Particles on Their Cytotoxicity
Researchers found that degradation of polyethylene particles altered their cytotoxicity, with weathered and fragmented PE showing different toxic effects on cells compared to pristine particles, suggesting environmental aging changes microplastic health risks.