Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

Spatio-temporal variation of toxin-producing gene abundance in Microcystis aeruginosa from Poyang Lake

This paper is not relevant to microplastics; it investigates the spatio-temporal variation of toxin-producing gene abundance in the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa in Poyang Lake, China.

2023 Research Square (Research Square)
Article Tier 2

Effects of microcystin-LR on purification of drinking water source and physiological response of Hydrocharis dubia (Bl.) backer

Not relevant to microplastics research; this paper examines how the algal toxin microcystin-LR affects the ability of an aquatic plant (Hydrocharis dubia) to purify drinking water sources, with no connection to microplastic pollution.

2023 Research Square (Research Square)
Article Tier 2

Sorption of the common freshwater cyanotoxin microcystin to microplastics

Researchers demonstrated that microplastics from freshwater environments can adsorb the harmful algal bloom toxin microcystin onto their surfaces, potentially concentrating the toxin and altering its environmental fate. This finding suggests that microplastics in lakes with cyanobacterial blooms may act as carriers for toxins that affect fish, wildlife, and humans.

2020 QSpace (Queen's University Library) 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic and microcystin in tropical drinking water reservoir: pollution characteristics and human health risk assessment

Researchers surveyed microplastic and cyanobacterial toxin levels in a tropical drinking water reservoir in Vietnam over a one-year period. They found microplastics at all sampling sites, predominantly polypropylene and polyethylene fibers, with high polymer hazard scores despite low overall pollution levels. The co-occurrence of microplastics and microcystin toxins across the reservoir highlights the need for research on how these contaminants interact in freshwater drinking water sources.

2025 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Fate, abundance and ecological risks of microcystins in aquatic environment: The implication of microplastics

This review explores how microplastics in water can interact with microcystins, highly toxic compounds produced by harmful algal blooms, by adsorbing and transporting them through aquatic environments. The combination poses increased risks to human health because microplastics can carry these dangerous toxins into drinking water sources and through the food chain.

2024 Water Research 56 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics Promote Microcystin Synthesis and Release from Cyanobacterial Microcystis aeruginosa

Researchers discovered that amino-modified polystyrene nanoplastics promote both the production and release of microcystin, a harmful toxin, from the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa. The nanoplastics inhibited photosynthesis, induced oxidative stress, and damaged cell membranes, which enhanced toxin synthesis and extracellular release. The findings suggest that nanoplastic pollution in freshwater ecosystems could worsen the threat of harmful algal blooms to aquatic ecology and human health.

2020 Environmental Science & Technology 232 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro- and nanoplastic stress intensifies Microcystis aeruginosa physiology and toxin risks under environmentally relevant water chemistry conditions

Researchers exposed the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa to environmentally relevant concentrations of micro- and nanoplastics, finding both significantly enhanced algal biomass and microcystin toxin production, with nanoplastics additionally promoting extracellular toxin release.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of cyanotoxins on polypropylene and polyethylene terephthalate: Microplastics as vector of eight microcystin analogues

Eight microcystin analogues were tested for adsorption onto polypropylene and polyethylene terephthalate microplastics, finding that these common plastics can bind cyanotoxins from freshwater environments. The study identifies microplastics as potential vectors for cyanobacterial toxins in lakes and reservoirs, with implications for drinking water safety.

2022 Environmental Pollution 53 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics benefit bacteria colonization and induce microcystin degradation

Polystyrene microplastics in a microcosm experiment facilitated bacterial colonization and promoted the degradation of the cyanobacterial toxin microcystin, with the plastisphere community showing distinct metabolic activity compared to free-living bacteria. The study reveals that microplastic biofilms can unexpectedly accelerate detoxification of co-occurring harmful algal bloom toxins.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 50 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic characteristics differentially influence cyanobacterial harmful algal bloom microbial community membership, growth, and toxin production

Researchers investigated how different types of microplastics influence the growth and toxin production of harmful algal blooms in freshwater. They found that certain microplastic characteristics, such as shape and polymer type, significantly affected which microbial species thrived and how much toxin was produced. The study suggests that microplastic pollution may play an underappreciated role in worsening harmful algal blooms in lakes and reservoirs.

2025 Sustainable Microbiology 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Changes of the physicochemical properties of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) from Microcystis aeruginosa in response to microplastics

This study examined how microplastics affect the extracellular polymeric substances produced by the common freshwater cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa, which plays a role in harmful algal blooms. Researchers found that microplastic exposure altered the composition and structure of these substances over time. The findings suggest that microplastics could influence how cyanobacteria aggregate and form blooms, with potential implications for water quality management.

2022 Environmental Pollution 94 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Ecological risk analysis and prediction of microplastics' effects on Microcystis aeruginosa in freshwater system: a meta-analysis approach

This meta-analysis found that micro- and nanoplastics can both inhibit and stimulate the growth of Microcystis aeruginosa — a harmful algal bloom cyanobacterium — depending on particle size and degradability. Smaller, degradable plastics tend to promote algal growth, suggesting microplastic pollution could worsen toxic algal blooms in freshwater systems used for drinking water.

2026 Environmental Pollution
Article Tier 2

Intraspecific variation of two duckweed species influences response to microcystin-LR exposure

This paper is not about microplastics; it tests how different genetic strains of duckweed plants respond to the cyanotoxin microcystin-LR, exploring whether duckweed could be used to bioremediate cyanobacterial blooms.

2023
Article Tier 2

Effects of Polyester Microfibers on the Growth and Toxicity Production of Bloom-Forming Cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa

Green, black, and white polyester microplastic fibers at concentrations of 10-200 mg/L affected the growth, photosynthesis, and toxin production of the bloom-forming cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa in color- and concentration-dependent ways. Black microplastics caused the greatest inhibition of growth while simultaneously altering microcystin production, suggesting MPs could shift the hazard profile of harmful algal blooms.

2022 Water 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Mechanistic study on the increase of Microcystin-LR synthesis and release in Microcystis aeruginosa by amino-modified nano-plastics.

This study examined how amino-modified nanoplastics increase production and release of the toxin Microcystin-LR in the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa, revealing the cellular and gene-expression mechanisms behind this enhancement. The findings highlight how nanoplastic pollution can amplify harmful algal bloom toxicity.

2024 Journal of hazardous materials
Article Tier 2

Micrometer scale polystyrene plastics of varying concentrations and particle sizes inhibit growth and upregulate microcystin-related gene expression in Microcystis aeruginosa

Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics inhibited the growth of the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa in a dose- and size-dependent manner, with smaller particles and higher concentrations causing greater growth suppression. Notably, microplastic exposure also upregulated genes related to microcystin production, suggesting that microplastics could potentially increase the toxicity of harmful algal blooms.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 97 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption behavior of polyamide microplastics as a vector of the cyanotoxin microcystin-LR in environmental freshwaters

Researchers found that polyamide-6 microplastics showed exceptionally strong adsorption of the cyanotoxin microcystin-LR — with 89.5% efficiency — raising concern that microplastics can act as vectors transporting harmful cyanotoxins through freshwater environments.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Responses of Microcystis aeruginosa to polystyrene microplastics: Growth dynamics and implications for water treatment

Researchers studied how polystyrene microplastics affect the harmful freshwater algae Microcystis aeruginosa, which causes toxic algal blooms. They found that while microplastics initially suppressed algae growth, the algae eventually adapted and grew even more, producing higher levels of the dangerous toxin microcystin. The study suggests that microplastic pollution in freshwater could worsen harmful algal blooms and create additional water treatment challenges.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Analysis and differentiation of toxic and non-toxic cyanobacteria using Raman spectroscopy

This paper is not about microplastics. It used Raman spectroscopy to distinguish between toxic and non-toxic strains of cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) in water. While the detection technology overlaps with methods used for microplastic identification, this study focuses entirely on algal toxin monitoring with no connection to microplastic contamination.

2024
Article Tier 2

Growth inhibition, toxin production and oxidative stress caused by three microplastics in Microcystis aeruginosa

Researchers tested the effects of three common microplastic types, PVC, polystyrene, and polyethylene, on the growth and toxin production of the freshwater cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa. They found that all three microplastics inhibited algal growth and triggered oxidative stress, with PVC causing the most severe effects. The study also revealed that microplastic exposure stimulated the production of microcystin toxins, suggesting that plastic pollution could worsen harmful algal bloom impacts in freshwater systems.

2020 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 149 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxicity mechanism of Nylon microplastics on Microcystis aeruginosa through three pathways: Photosynthesis, oxidative stress and energy metabolism

Researchers investigated how nylon microplastics affect the freshwater cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa and found dose-dependent growth inhibition reaching nearly 48% at the highest concentration. The microplastics disrupted photosynthesis, damaged cell membranes, triggered oxidative stress, and altered the expression of genes involved in energy production and carbon fixation. The study identifies three interconnected pathways through which nylon microplastics harm these important aquatic organisms.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 149 citations
Article Tier 2

Understanding the Risks of Diffusion of Cyanobacteria Toxins in Rivers, Lakes, and Potable Water

This review covers the health risks of cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) toxins found in rivers, lakes, and drinking water, which can damage the liver and nervous system in humans. While not directly about microplastics, the research is relevant because microplastics in water can interact with cyanobacteria and their toxins, potentially serving as carriers that concentrate these harmful substances. The paper discusses various water treatment methods for removing cyanotoxins, many of which are also applicable to microplastic removal.

2023 Toxins 43 citations
Article Tier 2

Experimental Evidence from the Field that Naturally Weathered Microplastics Accumulate Cyanobacterial Toxins in Eutrophic Lakes

Researchers conducted laboratory sorption experiments and field sampling in eutrophic lakes to test whether naturally weathered microplastics accumulate cyanobacterial toxins (microcystins). Weathered microplastics from the field had significantly higher microcystin concentrations than predicted from lab sorption experiments with pristine plastics, confirming that naturally aged plastics are more effective toxin carriers.

2022 Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Microcystin bound on microplastics in eutrophic waters: A potential threat to zooplankton revealed by adsorption-desorption processes

Researchers studied adsorption and desorption of the cyanotoxin microcystin onto microplastics in eutrophic freshwater and found that microplastics can act as vectors carrying bound cyanotoxins to zooplankton, enhancing toxin transfer through the food web beyond what free toxin exposure alone would predict.

2023 Environmental Pollution 17 citations