Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Exposure to polystyrene microplastics reduces regeneration and growth in planarians

Researchers exposed planarians (Dugesia japonica) to polystyrene microplastics to study effects on regeneration, growth, and stem cell function. The study found that microplastic exposure significantly reduced tissue regeneration and growth rates while increasing oxidative stress markers. The findings suggest that microplastics can impair fundamental biological processes like tissue repair and stem cell function in freshwater organisms.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 61 citations
Article Tier 2

Dynamics of interaction and effects of microplastics on planarian tissue regeneration and cellular homeostasis

Microplastic exposure in freshwater planarians disrupted their tissue regeneration capacity and cellular homeostasis, with effects worsening at higher concentrations. Planarians are valued model organisms for studying regeneration, and these findings suggest microplastics can impair fundamental biological repair processes in aquatic invertebrates.

2019 Aquatic Toxicology 46 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2018 Environmental Science Nano 422 citations
Article Tier 2

Physiological and molecular responses to different sizes of polystyrene micro/nanoplastics in the model unicellular eukaryote Paramecium tetraurelia

Researchers exposed single-celled organisms (Paramecium) to polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics of different sizes and found that toxicity increased as particle size decreased. The smallest particles caused the most significant oxidative stress, DNA damage, and disruption to cellular functions including energy metabolism and waste processing. The study provides evidence that nanoplastics pose greater risks to aquatic microorganisms than larger microplastic particles.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Neuronal damage induced by nanopolystyrene particles in nematodeCaenorhabditis elegans

C. elegans nematodes were chronically exposed to nanopolystyrene particles and found to develop neuronal damage affecting both development and function of the nervous system after long-term exposure at environmentally relevant concentrations. The study provides early evidence that nanoplastics can cause neurological harm in an animal model, raising questions about potential neurotoxicity in other species.

2019 Environmental Science Nano 99 citations
Article Tier 2

Bioavailability and Effects of Polystyrene Nanoparticles in Hydra circumcincta

Lab experiments exposed the freshwater invertebrate Hydra to polystyrene nanoplastics (50 and 100 nm) at increasing concentrations for 96 hours. The hydra accumulated the particles and showed reduced regenerative capacity and body contractions at higher doses, demonstrating toxicity to a simple but important freshwater organism.

2019 IntechOpen eBooks 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Evidence of size-dependent toxicity of polystyrene nano- and microplastics in sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus (Selenka, 1867) during the intestinal regeneration

Sea cucumbers exposed to polystyrene particles of different sizes for 30 days showed that nanoplastics (80 nm) accumulated more in intestinal tissue and caused greater harm than larger microplastics. The nanoplastics disrupted cell growth, immune function, and triggered oxidative damage through different biological pathways than the larger particles. Since sea cucumbers are a harvested seafood, this raises concerns about nanoplastic contamination in marine food sources.

2024 Environmental Pollution 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxicity of microplastics polystyrene to freshwater planarians and the alleviative effects of anthocyanins

Researchers determined the lethal concentration of polystyrene microplastics for freshwater planarians for the first time and found that exposure disrupted their internal balance, caused oxidative damage, and triggered nerve cell changes and cell death. Notably, long-term exposure to low, environmentally relevant concentrations was more harmful than short-term exposure to high doses. The study also found that anthocyanins, natural plant pigments, could effectively reduce the toxic effects of polystyrene on these organisms.

2025 Aquatic Toxicology 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics altered cellular responses, physiology, behaviour, and regeneration of planarians feeding on contaminated prey

Researchers found that planarians feeding on microplastic-contaminated prey showed altered behavior, impaired physiology, and reduced regeneration capacity, demonstrating that microplastics can transfer through freshwater food chains and harm predatory invertebrates.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastic exposure inhibits feeding and delays regeneration in a freshwater planarian

Researchers exposed freshwater planarians to nanoplastics and found that even very low concentrations significantly reduced feeding rates. Higher concentrations also delayed the worms' ability to regenerate lost body parts, a key biological function for these organisms. The study suggests that nanoplastic pollution in freshwater environments may impair fundamental survival behaviors and biological processes in aquatic invertebrates.

2023 Environmental Pollution 22 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2025 Journal of Applied Toxicology
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene nanoplastics induced size-dependent developmental and neurobehavioral toxicities in embryonic and juvenile zebrafish

Researchers exposed zebrafish embryos and juveniles to polystyrene nanoplastics of three different sizes and found that all sizes crossed into the brain, eyes, and other organs. Smaller particles tended to cause different types of damage than larger ones, including changes in brain development and behavior. This size-dependent toxicity is relevant to human health because we are exposed to a wide range of nanoplastic sizes through food and water.

2024 Aquatic Toxicology 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Cytotoxicity of amine-modified polystyrene MPs and NPs on neural stem cells cultured from mouse subventricular zone

Researchers tested the effects of polystyrene microplastics and nanoplastics with a positive surface charge on neural stem cells from mouse brains. Both sizes of particles reduced cell survival, but nanoplastics were significantly more toxic at lower concentrations, causing cell death and preventing stem cells from developing into mature brain cells. These findings suggest that nanoplastics that reach the brain could potentially harm the nervous system's ability to repair and maintain itself.

2024 Heliyon 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Neurotoxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics with different particle sizes at environment-related concentrations on early zebrafish embryos

Researchers exposed zebrafish embryos to polystyrene nanoplastics of different sizes at concentrations found in the environment and observed significant brain damage. The nanoplastics caused loss of neurons, shortened nerve fibers, and disrupted brain signaling systems that control behavior. Smaller nanoplastics caused the most severe damage because they could pass through protective barriers more easily, suggesting that the tiniest plastic particles pose the greatest risk to brain development.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 99 citations
Article Tier 2

Size-Dependent Effects of Polystyrene Nanoplastics on Freshwater Microalgae After Long-Term Exposure

Researchers exposed a common freshwater algae species to polystyrene nanoplastics of three different sizes over an extended period. They found that the smallest particles caused the most damage to algae cells, while the largest particles had relatively mild effects, revealing a clear size-dependent toxicity pattern. The study suggests that the tiniest nanoplastic particles in freshwater environments may pose the greatest risk to the base of aquatic food webs.

2025 Water 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic-Induced Reductions in Population, Fecundity, and Body Size of Soil Nematodes

Three soil nematode species were exposed to polystyrene microplastics at 0.1, 0.5, and 1 µm sizes for 45 days, revealing size-dependent reductions in population abundance, fecundity, and body size, with smaller particles generally more harmful.

2025
Article Tier 2

Continuum of size from microplastics to nanoplastics: effects on the estuarine bivalve Scrobicularia plana at different levels of biological organization.

Researchers exposed the estuarine bivalve Scrobicularia plana to environmental microplastics and nanoplastics at low concentrations (0.008-100 ug/L), along with standard polystyrene nanoplastics, finding ecotoxicological effects on gills and digestive gland tissues at multiple levels of biological organisation.

2022 2 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

Neurodevelopmental Toxicity of Polystyrene Nanoplastics inCaenorhabditis elegansand the Regulating Effect of Presenilin

C. elegans exposed to 25, 50, and 100 nm polystyrene nanoplastics showed size-dependent neurodevelopmental toxicity — including reactive oxygen species generation, mitochondrial damage, and inhibited dopamine production — with smaller particles (25 nm) paradoxically showing weaker effects than the 50 nm size.

2020 ACS Omega 64 citations
Article Tier 2

The toxic differentiation of micro- and nanoplastics verified by gene-edited fluorescent Caenorhabditis elegans

Researchers used gene-edited fluorescent C. elegans to demonstrate that nanoplastic toxicity is size- and charge-dependent, with 100 nm positively charged polystyrene particles causing the greatest harm through intestinal accumulation and oxidative stress.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics impacts in seven flagellate microalgae: Role of size and cell wall

Seven marine flagellate microalgae species were incubated with 1-micrometer polystyrene microplastics at 10 mg/L, revealing that cell size and the presence of a cell wall strongly influenced the degree of microplastic-induced physiological and growth effects across species.

2021 Environmental Research 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Potential for high toxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics to the European Daphnia longispina

Researchers exposed water fleas (Daphnia) to polystyrene nanoplastics and found that 50 nm particles were thousands of times more toxic per unit mass than 100 nm particles, with effects comparable to highly regulated toxic chemicals. The results highlight how particle size dramatically changes nanoplastic hazard and challenge the assumption that microplastics pose low ecological risk.

2023 Environmental Sciences Europe 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene nanoplastics as an ecotoxicological hazard: cellular and transcriptomic evidences on marine and freshwater in vitro teleost models

Researchers tested the effects of two sizes of polystyrene nanoplastics on fish cell lines from both freshwater and marine species. They found that smaller 20-nanometer particles were significantly more toxic than larger 80-nanometer ones, causing cell death through apoptosis and disrupting multiple biological pathways. The study provides evidence that nanoplastic size is a key factor in determining toxicity to aquatic organisms.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluation of phenotypic and behavioral toxicity of micro- and nano-plastic polystyrene particles in larval zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Researchers exposed zebrafish embryos to polystyrene particles ranging from 50 nanometers to 10 micrometers and found that nearly all sizes caused physical abnormalities and changes in swimming behavior. Smaller particles were taken up more readily and distributed to organs including the brain and gut. These findings are relevant to human health because zebrafish share many biological pathways with humans, and the results suggest that both micro- and nano-sized plastics can cause developmental harm.

2025 Toxicological Sciences 5 citations