Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Integrative Physiological and Transcriptome Analysis Reveals the Mechanism of Cd Tolerance in Sinapis alba

This paper is not about microplastics; it uses transcriptomics and physiological measurements to understand how white mustard (Sinapis alba) tolerates cadmium heavy metal stress at the molecular level.

2023 Genes 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Transcriptomic and Functional Analyses of Two Cadmium Hyper-Enriched Duckweed Strains Reveal Putative Cadmium Tolerance Mechanisms

Not directly relevant to microplastics — this study uses transcriptomics to investigate how duckweed tolerates and accumulates cadmium, exploring potential mechanisms for heavy-metal phytoremediation.

2023 International Journal of Molecular Sciences 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessing stress responses in potherb mustard (Brassica juncea var. multiceps) exposed to a synergy of microplastics and cadmium: Insights from physiology, oxidative damage, and metabolomics

Researchers found that microplastics in soil increased the amount of cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, that mustard green plants absorbed, while also reducing crop yields and photosynthesis. Higher concentrations of microplastics made more cadmium available in the soil, leading to greater accumulation of the metal in the plants. This raises food safety concerns because vegetables grown in microplastic-contaminated soil could contain higher levels of toxic metals that are harmful to human health.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 59 citations
Article Tier 2

Nutrient Metabolism Pathways Analysis and Key Candidate Genes Identification Corresponding to Cadmium Stress in Buckwheat through Multiomics Analysis

This study used transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis to investigate how buckwheat responds to cadmium stress at the molecular level, identifying key metabolic pathways affected by the heavy metal. It is not about microplastics and is not relevant to microplastic research.

2023 Genes 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Research on the Mechanisms of Plant Enrichment and Detoxification of Cadmium

This review examines how plants absorb, transport, and accumulate the heavy metal cadmium from contaminated soil, as well as the detoxification mechanisms plants use to cope with cadmium stress. While focused on cadmium rather than microplastics, the research is relevant because microplastics in soil can alter cadmium mobility and uptake by crops, potentially affecting food safety.

2021 Biology 93 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene nanoplastics distinctly impact cadmium uptake and toxicity in Arabidopsis thaliana

In a study using the model plant Arabidopsis, polystyrene nanoplastics increased the uptake and accumulation of the toxic heavy metal cadmium in plant roots. The combined stress of nanoplastics and cadmium caused worse oxidative damage and growth problems than either pollutant alone. This is concerning because it means microplastics in agricultural soil could help toxic metals get into crops more easily, potentially increasing human exposure through food.

2024 Environmental Pollution 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Rhizosphere microbiome metagenomics in PGPR-mediated alleviation of combined stress from polypropylene microplastics and Cd in hybrid Pennisetum

Researchers found that beneficial soil bacteria (PGPR) can help plants cope with the combined stress of polypropylene microplastics and the toxic heavy metal cadmium. The bacteria improved plant growth by 8-42% under contaminated conditions by reshaping the microbial community around plant roots. This study offers a potential strategy for maintaining crop productivity in farmland contaminated with both microplastics and heavy metals.

2025 Frontiers in Microbiology 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic fragments in sand alleviate the negative effects of heavy metals on plants

A mesocosm experiment found that microplastic fragments in substrate unexpectedly reduced cadmium uptake by plants despite increasing the metal's bioavailability in the soil — suggesting microplastics alter the chemistry of how plants access heavy metals through mechanisms not related to pH or soil moisture. The non-hyperaccumulator Arabidopsis thaliana showed increased biomass when exposed to both cadmium and microplastics together compared to either stressor alone. These counterintuitive interactions highlight how microplastics can complicate predicting heavy metal toxicity in contaminated soils.

2026 Environmental Challenges
Article Tier 2

Effects of polyethylene microplastics on cadmium accumulation in Solanum nigrum L.: A study involving microbial communities and metabolomics profiles

This study found that polyethylene microplastics in soil reduced the ability of a plant known for cleaning up cadmium contamination to absorb the toxic metal. The microplastics changed the soil's microbial community and altered the plant's metabolism in ways that disrupted its natural heavy metal uptake process. This is important because it suggests microplastic pollution in farmland could interfere with natural and engineered soil cleanup strategies for heavy metals.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Plant growth-promoting bacteria modulate gene expression and induce antioxidant tolerance to alleviate synergistic toxicity from combined microplastic and Cd pollution in sorghum

Scientists found that a beneficial soil bacterium (Bacillus sp. SL-413) can help protect sorghum plants from the combined toxic effects of microplastics and cadmium, a heavy metal. The bacterium boosted plant growth, reduced harmful reactive oxygen species by up to 27%, and reactivated genes that the pollution had shut down. This research points to a nature-based solution for helping food crops survive in microplastic-contaminated soil.

2023 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 49 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined effects of microplastics and cadmium on the soil-plant system: Phytotoxicity, Cd accumulation and microbial activity

Researchers tested how different microplastic types combined with cadmium affect plant growth and soil health. Aged and biodegradable microplastics increased cadmium uptake in mustard greens more than fresh conventional plastics did. The study also found that microplastics altered soil microbial activity, suggesting that plastic pollution in farmland could change how plants absorb toxic metals from contaminated soil.

2023 Environmental Pollution 51 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics addition reduced the toxicity and uptake of cadmium to Brassica chinensis L.

Researchers studied how the presence of microplastics in soil affects the toxicity and uptake of cadmium, a harmful heavy metal, by Chinese cabbage plants. They found that microplastics actually reduced cadmium accumulation in the plants by adsorbing the metal onto their surfaces, effectively lowering its availability in the soil. While this reduced cadmium toxicity to the plants, the study notes that microplastics themselves may introduce other environmental risks.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 102 citations
Article Tier 2

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi enhance maize cadmium resistance and reduce translocation: Dependence on microplastics concentration

Researchers investigated how beneficial soil fungi called arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi can help maize plants resist cadmium toxicity in soils contaminated with both microplastics and heavy metals. They found that high concentrations of polyethylene microplastics worsened cadmium toxicity, but inoculation with mycorrhizal fungi significantly improved plant growth, nutrient uptake, and photosynthesis. The study suggests that these fungi could serve as a biological tool for managing crop health in soils with combined microplastic and heavy metal contamination.

2026
Article Tier 2

Toxicity and fate of cadmium in hydroponically cultivated lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) influenced by microplastics

Researchers found that PVC microplastics changed how lettuce plants absorb the toxic heavy metal cadmium when both were present in the growing water. The microplastics initially absorbed cadmium from the water but then altered the plant's uptake patterns, affecting where the metal accumulated in roots versus leaves. This matters because microplastics in agricultural water could change how toxic metals end up in the edible parts of vegetables people eat.

2024 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of Cadmium Stress on Carbon Sequestration and Oxygen Release Characteristics in A Landscaping Hyperaccumulator—Lonicera japonica Thunb.

This study examines how cadmium stress affects the growth, photosynthesis, and carbon sequestration capacity of the landscape plant Lonicera japonica. It is not about microplastics and is not relevant to microplastic research.

2023 Plants 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Polylactic acid microplastics inhibit Cd accumulation and growth of Solanum nigrum L.: Insights from microbial communities and metabolomic profiles

Researchers found that polylactic acid microplastics in soil reduced cadmium uptake and inhibited biomass growth in the cadmium hyperaccumulator Solanum nigrum, altering soil microbial communities and metabolomic profiles in ways that could impair phytoremediation.

2025 Environmental Research
Article Tier 2

Unveiling the impacts of biodegradable microplastics on cadmium toxicity, translocation, transformation, and metabolome in lettuce

Researchers studied how biodegradable microplastics interact with cadmium contamination in lettuce and found that the combination worsened the toxic effects on plant growth compared to cadmium alone. The biodegradable plastics increased cadmium accumulation in the edible parts of the lettuce and altered how the metal was distributed within plant cells. The findings raise concerns about using biodegradable plastic mulch in soils already contaminated with heavy metals, as it may increase the amount of toxic metals that end up in food crops.

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

Microplastics promoted cadmium accumulation in maize plants by improving active cadmium and amino acid synthesis

Researchers examined how polystyrene and polypropylene microplastics interact with cadmium contamination to affect soil chemistry and cadmium uptake in maize plants across two soil types. The study found that microplastics generally promoted cadmium accumulation in maize by reducing soil pH and increasing cadmium bioavailability, with effects varying by particle size depending on the soil type.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 111 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics alter cadmium accumulation in different soil-plant systems: Revealing the crucial roles of soil bacteria and metabolism

A study found that microplastics in soil can change how much cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, is absorbed by food crops, with the effects varying depending on soil type and the amount of plastic present. By altering soil chemistry and bacterial communities, microplastics reshape how pollutants move through farmland and into the food we eat.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 44 citations
Article Tier 2

Detoxifying the heavy metals: a multipronged study of tolerance strategies against heavy metals toxicity in plants

This review looks at how plants deal with toxic heavy metals in their environment, covering strategies like blocking metal uptake, storing metals in safe compartments, and using special proteins to neutralize damage. While not directly about microplastics, it is relevant because microplastics can carry heavy metals into soil, making plant exposure worse. Understanding these plant defense mechanisms could help develop crops that are more resilient to contaminated environments.

2023 Frontiers in Plant Science 109 citations
Article Tier 2

Euphorbia marginata Alleviate Heavy Metal Ni-Cu Combined Stress by Regulating the Synthesis of Signaling Factors and Flavonoid Organisms

Despite its title referencing heavy metal stress in plants, this paper studies how the ornamental plant Euphorbia marginata responds physiologically and genetically to copper and nickel contamination in soil — not microplastic pollution. It examines antioxidant responses, cell membrane damage, and gene expression related to phytoremediation of heavy metals and is not relevant to microplastics or human health from plastic exposure.

2025 Plants 1 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Microplastics may increase the environmental risks of Cd via promoting Cd uptake by plants: A meta-analysis

This meta-analysis found that microplastics in soil can increase how much cadmium (a toxic heavy metal) plants absorb. This is concerning because it means microplastic pollution could make our food crops more contaminated with heavy metals, adding another health risk on top of the plastics themselves.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 164 citations
Article Tier 2

Phytotoxic effects of polyethylene microplastics combined with cadmium on the photosynthetic performance of maize (Zea mays L.)

Researchers studied how polyethylene microplastics combined with cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, affect photosynthesis in two varieties of maize. They found that microplastics generally worsened cadmium's negative effects on the plants' ability to capture light energy and convert it to growth, though responses differed between maize varieties. The study suggests that microplastic pollution in agricultural soils could amplify the harm caused by heavy metal contamination to crop productivity.

2023 Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 23 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Unveiling the impacts of microplastics on cadmium transfer in the soil-plant-human system: A review

A meta-analysis found that microplastics significantly increase soil cadmium bioavailability by 6.9% and cadmium accumulation in plant shoots by 9.3%, through both direct surface adsorption and indirect modification of soil pH and dissolved organic carbon. This enhanced cadmium mobility through the soil-plant-human food chain amplifies health risks, as co-ingestion of microplastics and cadmium increases cadmium bioaccessibility and tissue damage.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 46 citations