Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Plant and microbial response in constructed wetland treating tetracycline antibiotic polluted water: Evaluating the effects of microplastic size and concentration

This study evaluated how microplastic size and concentration affect plants and microorganisms in constructed wetlands treating tetracycline-contaminated water. Researchers found that microplastics influenced microbial community structure and plant health, with smaller particles and higher concentrations generally producing more pronounced effects on wetland treatment performance.

2024 Chemosphere 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and co-pollutant with ciprofloxacin affect interactions between free-floating macrophytes

Researchers found that polyethylene microplastics and ciprofloxacin co-pollutants altered competitive interactions between free-floating macrophytes, with combined exposure affecting plant growth and physiological responses differently than individual pollutant exposure.

2022 Environmental Pollution 39 citations
Article Tier 2

Press perturbations of microplastics and antibiotics on freshwater micro-ecosystem: Case study for the ecological restoration of submerged plants

Researchers studied the combined effects of polyethylene microplastics and the antibiotic sulfanilamide on freshwater micro-ecosystems involving submerged plants, water, and sediment. The study found synergistic negative effects on ecosystem structure and function, including reduced plant diversity and disrupted nutrient cycling, highlighting concerns about the combined pollution impact on freshwater ecological restoration efforts.

2022 Water Research 65 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined toxic effects of enrofloxacin and microplastics on submerged plants and epiphytic biofilms in high nitrogen and phosphorus waters

Researchers studied the combined effects of the antibiotic enrofloxacin and microplastics on the submerged plant Myriophyllum verticillatum in nutrient-rich water. The study found that while microplastics alone had little effect, their combination with enrofloxacin produced synergistic toxic effects, reducing the plant's ability to absorb nitrogen and phosphorus and decreasing photosynthetic pigment content.

2022 Chemosphere 52 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

When antibiotics encounter microplastics in aquatic environments: Interaction, combined toxicity, and risk assessments

A meta-analysis of the combined toxicity of antibiotics and microplastics in aquatic environments found significant adverse effects on algae but limited apparent effects on fish and daphnia. Microplastics alter antibiotic environmental behavior through adsorption and co-transport, and their coexistence is widespread across global aquatic study sites, though standardized risk assessment methods for combined exposure remain lacking.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined pollution of tetracyclines and microplastics in the aquatic environment: Insights into the occurrence, interaction mechanisms and effects

This review examines how microplastics and tetracycline antibiotics interact in water environments, since microplastics can absorb and carry antibiotics on their surfaces. Factors like pH, heavy metals, and organic matter in water influence how tightly antibiotics bind to microplastics, and the combined pollution is more harmful to aquatic life than either pollutant alone. This is relevant to human health because these microplastic-antibiotic combinations can enter drinking water supplies and promote antibiotic resistance.

2024 Environmental Research 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Alleviating effects of microplastics together with tetracycline hydrochloride on the physiological stress of Closterium sp.

Researchers studied how PET and PBT microplastics combined with the antibiotic tetracycline affect freshwater microalgae. They found that in some combinations, microplastics actually reduced the toxicity of the antibiotic to the algae, likely by adsorbing the chemical onto their surfaces. The study highlights the complex and sometimes counterintuitive ways that microplastics interact with other pollutants in aquatic environments.

2024 Environmental Science Processes & Impacts 5 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Meta-analysis unravels the complex combined toxicity of microplastics and antibiotics in aquatic ecosystems

A meta-analysis of 730 datasets found that microplastics amplify antibiotic accumulation in aquatic organisms and worsen effects on growth, development, and immune function, but paradoxically appear to mitigate reproductive toxicity from antibiotics. The impact depends on biological response pathway, microplastic concentration, antibiotic properties, and exposure time, with an inverse relationship between antibiotic toxicity and both microplastic concentration and exposure duration.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Unraveling individual and combined toxicity of microplastics and tetracycline at environment-related concentrations to coral holobionts

Researchers tested how microplastics alone and combined with the antibiotic tetracycline affect coral organisms at levels actually found in the ocean. The combination was more toxic than either pollutant alone, disrupting the coral's symbiotic algae, microbiome, and immune responses. Since coral reefs support fisheries and coastal communities worldwide, this damage from microplastic pollution could have cascading effects on both marine ecosystems and the people who depend on them.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics and their combined effects with sulphamethoxazole on the free-floating aquatic plant Lemna major

Researchers studied the combined effects of polystyrene nanoplastics and the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole on free-floating freshwater organisms, examining how co-exposure to these two pollutants interacts compared to individual exposures. Nanoplastics altered the bioavailability and toxicity of the antibiotic, demonstrating complex mixture effects in aquatic systems.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Accumulation and ecotoxicological effects induced by combined exposure of different sized polyethylene microplastics and oxytetracycline in zebrafish

Researchers conducted a 30-day experiment exposing zebrafish to different sized polyethylene microplastics combined with the antibiotic oxytetracycline. They found that smaller nanoplastics increased antibiotic accumulation in fish liver by up to 44.5%, and the combined exposure caused more severe liver damage than either contaminant alone, with effects worsening as particle size decreased. The study suggests that microplastics can amplify the toxicity of antibiotics in aquatic organisms through enhanced bioaccumulation.

2022 Environmental Pollution 45 citations
Article Tier 2

Bacterial community are more susceptible to nanoplastics than algae community in aquatic ecosystems dominated by submerged macrophytes

Researchers conducted a mesocosm experiment to test how nanoplastics affect bacterial and algal communities in aquatic ecosystems with submerged plants. They found that bacterial communities were significantly more sensitive to nanoplastic exposure than algal communities, with notable shifts in bacterial composition and function. The study reveals that different groups of microorganisms in natural water environments respond very differently to nanoplastic contamination.

2023 Water Research 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Synergistic Pollution: Interactions Among Polyethylene, Surfactants, and Antibiotics in an Aquatic Environment

Researchers investigated synergistic pollution effects among polyethylene microplastics, surfactants, and antibiotics in aquatic systems, finding that co-presence enhanced the environmental persistence and bioavailability of antibiotics beyond what microplastics or surfactants caused individually.

2025
Article Tier 2

Gut microbiota related response of Oryzias melastigma to combined exposure of polystyrene microplastics and tetracycline

Researchers exposed estuarine fish to polystyrene microplastics and the antibiotic tetracycline, both alone and in combination, for four weeks. The combined exposure caused more severe disruption to gut bacteria and liver tissue than either pollutant alone, with microplastics appearing to worsen the effects of tetracycline. The study suggests that the co-occurrence of microplastics and antibiotics in coastal waters may pose greater ecological risks than either contaminant by itself.

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

Shifting enzyme activity and microbial composition in sediment coregulate the structure of an aquatic plant community under polyethylene microplastic exposure

Researchers investigated how polyethylene microplastics affect underwater plant communities and found that the impact varies significantly by species. Canopy-forming plants actually grew more under microplastic exposure, while rosette-forming species declined sharply, shifting the overall community structure. The study suggests that microplastics in freshwater sediments can reshape aquatic ecosystems by altering enzyme activity and microbial composition in ways that favor some plant species over others.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Mechanism of the Synergistic Toxicity of Ampicillin and Cefazoline on Selenastrum capricornutum

Researchers studied how two common antibiotics, ampicillin and cefazolin, work together to harm freshwater algae, finding that their combined effect is worse than either antibiotic alone. The antibiotics disrupted the algae's growth, metabolism, and photosynthesis at the genetic level. While focused on antibiotic pollution rather than microplastics, the study is relevant because microplastics can carry antibiotics through waterways, potentially amplifying these toxic effects on aquatic ecosystems.

2024 Toxics 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Size-dependent effect of microplastics on toxicity and fate of diclofenac in two algae

This study investigated how different sizes of polystyrene microplastics affect two species of algae and interact with the common pharmaceutical pollutant diclofenac. Researchers found that the smallest microplastics caused the most significant growth inhibition in algae, and the combined presence of microplastics and diclofenac could alter how each pollutant behaves. The findings underscore how microplastics can change the toxicity and environmental fate of other water contaminants.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Unraveling the toxic mechanisms of microplastics in aquatic ecosystem: A case study on Vallisneria natans and Myriophyllum verticillatum

Researchers exposed two submerged aquatic plant species (Vallisneria natans and Myriophyllum verticillatum) to PVC, polystyrene, and polyethylene microplastics at three concentrations, finding that all three types significantly inhibited photosynthesis and growth and triggered oxidative stress, with effects varying by plastic type and plant species.

2025 Environmental Pollution 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Fate and effects of microplastics in combination with pharmaceuticals and endocrine disruptors in freshwaters: Insights from a microcosm experiment

Researchers conducted a microcosm experiment exposing moss and caddisflies to microplastics combined with pharmaceuticals and endocrine disruptors, finding that microplastics can alter the fate and biological effects of co-occurring chemical contaminants in freshwater ecosystems.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Cascading effects of microplastic-pollutant co-exposure in coastal wetland soil-plant-microbe systems: Mitigation potential through nutrient management

This study examined how the co-exposure of microplastics with two common pollutants—a flame retardant (TCPP) and an antibiotic (oxytetracycline)—affects coastal wetland soil-plant-microbe systems. The combined exposures produced cascading harmful effects on plant health and microbial communities that exceeded single-contaminant impacts, and nutrient management partially offset the damage.

2025 Journal of Cleaner Production
Article Tier 2

The combined effect of microplastics and tetracycline on soil microbial communities and ARGs

Researchers studied how simultaneous exposure to microplastics and tetracycline affects soil microbial communities, finding that the combination disrupted microbial diversity, altered functional gene expression, and promoted horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes beyond the effects of either pollutant alone.

2025 Environmental Pollution 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Higher toxicity induced by co-exposure of polystyrene microplastics and chloramphenicol to Microcystis aeruginosa: Experimental study and molecular dynamics simulation

Researchers studied what happens when the antibiotic chloramphenicol and polystyrene microplastics are present together in water containing blue-green algae. The study found that the combined exposure was more toxic to the algae than either pollutant alone, disrupting photosynthesis and gene expression. The findings suggest that microplastics and antibiotics may interact in ways that amplify their harmful effects on aquatic ecosystems.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Long-term exposure of a free-living freshwater micro- and meiobenthos community to microplastic mixtures in microcosms

Researchers exposed a natural freshwater micro- and meiobenthos community to microplastic mixtures in long-term microcosm experiments, finding community-level effects that differ from single-species studies and highlighting the importance of realistic multi-polymer exposure scenarios.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Bipartite trophic levels cannot resist the interference of microplastics: A case study of submerged macrophytes and snail

Researchers studied how microplastics affect a two-level food chain consisting of a submerged aquatic plant and freshwater snails living together. They found that increasing microplastic concentrations harmed both organisms, reducing plant growth and disrupting snail feeding behavior and reproduction. The study demonstrates that microplastic pollution can destabilize interconnected species relationships in freshwater ecosystems.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 3 citations