Papers

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Article Tier 2

Size-dependent toxic interaction between polystyrene beads and mercury on the mercury accumulation and multixenobiotic resistance (MXR) of brackish water flea Diaphanosoma celebensis

Researchers tested the interaction between polystyrene nano- and microplastics and mercury on the brackish water flea Diaphanosoma celebensis, measuring mercury accumulation and multixenobiotic resistance responses. Particle size influenced the nature and severity of combined toxicity, with smaller plastic particles showing greater disruption of mercury accumulation and detoxification mechanisms.

2024 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 1 citations
Article Tier 2

The single and combined effects of mercury and polystyrene plastic beads on antioxidant-related systems in the brackish water flea: toxicological interaction depending on mercury species and plastic bead size.

Exposure of small crustaceans to mixtures of mercury and polystyrene plastic beads showed complex toxicological interactions — the effects depended on both the size of the plastic beads and the chemical form of mercury. The findings highlight that the real-world health risks of plastic pollution cannot be understood in isolation from the other chemicals that co-occur with plastics in aquatic environments.

2022 Aquatic toxicology (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
Article Tier 2

Metabolomic analysis of combined exposure to microplastics and methylmercury in the brackish water flea Diaphanosoma celebensis

Combined exposure of the brackish water flea Diaphanosoma celebensis to microplastics and methylmercury produced metabolomic disruptions greater than either pollutant alone, with the combination altering amino acid metabolism, energy pathways, and oxidative stress markers. The study provides molecular-level evidence that microplastic-mercury co-contamination poses synergistic risks to aquatic invertebrates.

2022 Environmental Geochemistry and Health 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxicological effects of microplastics and heavy metals on the Daphnia magna

Researchers studied how polystyrene microplastics of two sizes adsorb heavy metals and how their combined presence affects the water flea Daphnia magna. They found that smaller microplastics had higher adsorption capacity for metals, and the combined toxicity shifted from antagonistic to additive effects as microplastic concentrations increased. The study reveals that smaller microplastics pose a greater toxicological risk when combined with heavy metals in aquatic environments.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 184 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics aggravate the adverse effects of methylmercury than inorganic mercury on zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Researchers exposed zebrafish embryos to polystyrene microplastics combined with two forms of mercury and found that the microplastics significantly increased the accumulation of methylmercury in the fish. The combination of microplastics and methylmercury caused worse developmental abnormalities, delayed hatching, and greater oxidative stress than either pollutant alone. The study suggests that microplastics can act as carriers for toxic metals, amplifying their harmful effects on aquatic organisms.

2024 Environmental Pollution 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics at an environmentally relevant dose enhance mercury toxicity in a marine copepod under multigenerational exposure: Multi-omics perspective

Researchers exposed tiny marine organisms called copepods to microplastics and mercury together across three generations at levels found in the environment. While microplastics alone had little effect, they made mercury much more toxic by increasing how much mercury built up in the organisms' bodies. This study shows that microplastics can act as carriers that amplify the harmful effects of other environmental pollutants, with the damage worsening over generations.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro-/nano-plastics as vectors of heavy metals and stress response of ciliates using transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses

This study examined how polystyrene microplastics and nanoplastics interact with cadmium to affect single-celled marine organisms called ciliates. The combined exposure was more toxic than either pollutant alone, disrupting the organisms' metabolism and stress responses at the genetic level. The findings demonstrate that microplastics can make heavy metal pollution worse by carrying metals into cells, a concern for marine food web contamination that could ultimately affect seafood safety.

2024 Environmental Pollution 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Comparison of the combined toxicity of polystyrene microplastics and different concentrations of cadmium in zebrafish

Researchers studied the combined toxic effects of polystyrene microplastics and cadmium at different concentrations in zebrafish over a 10-day exposure period. The study found that microplastics could either amplify or reduce cadmium toxicity depending on the metal concentration, affecting survival, growth, and antioxidant responses in complex ways.

2022 Aquatic Toxicology 58 citations
Article Tier 2

Quantification of the combined toxic effect of polychlorinated biphenyls and nano-sized polystyrene on Daphnia magna

Researchers investigated how nano-sized polystyrene particles modify the acute toxicity of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) to Daphnia magna, finding that low concentrations of nanoplastics reduced PCB toxicity by binding and sequestering the chemicals, while high nanoplastic concentrations became directly lethal, reversing the protective effect.

2018 Journal of Hazardous Materials 112 citations
Article Tier 2

Physiological and transcriptomic responses of seawater halobios to micro/nano-scale polystyrene-cadmium exposure in a marine food web.

Using a marine food web model with algae, shrimp, and fish, researchers showed that combined polystyrene microplastic and cadmium exposure caused greater physiological harm than either pollutant alone, with toxicity and bioaccumulation amplified at each trophic level.

2024 Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987)
Article Tier 2

Combined toxic effects of polystyrene microplastic and benzophenone-4 on the bioaccumulation, feeding, growth, and reproduction of Daphnia magna

Researchers examined the combined toxic effects of polystyrene microplastics and the UV filter chemical benzophenone-4 on water fleas over 21 days. They found that exposure to both contaminants together caused greater harm to feeding, growth, and reproduction than either pollutant alone. The study demonstrates that microplastics and personal care product chemicals can interact to amplify their negative effects on freshwater organisms.

2024 Environmental Pollution 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Single and combined effects of microplastics and cadmium on the cadmium accumulation, antioxidant defence and innate immunity of the discus fish (Symphysodon aequifasciatus)

Researchers studied how polystyrene microplastics interact with cadmium toxicity in discus fish and found that the presence of microplastics actually reduced cadmium accumulation in the fish's body. However, the microplastics independently caused oxidative stress and altered immune responses. The study reveals that the combined effects of microplastics and heavy metals on aquatic organisms are complex and do not simply add together.

2018 Environmental Pollution 414 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastics alleviate the developmental toxicity of silver nanoparticles in embryo-larval zebrafish (Danio rerio) at the transcriptomic level

In a surprising finding, researchers discovered that when zebrafish embryos were exposed to both silver nanoparticles and polystyrene microplastics together, the microplastics actually reduced the toxic effects of the silver nanoparticles. The study suggests that microplastics may interact with other pollutants in complex ways, sometimes lessening rather than amplifying their harmful impacts on developing organisms.

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

Effects of Exposure to Cadmium, Microplastics, and Their Mixture on Survival, Growth, Feeding, and Life History of Daphnia magna

Researchers examined how polyethylene microplastics altered cadmium toxicity to Daphnia magna, finding that microplastic co-exposure modified cadmium bioavailability and affected survival, growth, feeding rates, and reproductive outcomes in this ecologically important species.

2023 Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics pose a greater effect than microplastics in enhancing mercury toxicity to marine copepods

Researchers investigated whether nano- and microplastics can act as carriers of mercury, increasing its toxicity to marine copepods. The study found that polystyrene nano- and microplastics significantly increased mercury accumulation in the copepod Tigriopus japonicus, with nanoplastics posing a greater threat than microplastics due to their higher surface-area-to-volume ratio. Evidence indicates that nanoplastics enhanced mercury toxicity by disrupting genes related to development, energy metabolism, and stress defense.

2023 Chemosphere 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of combined exposure to mercury and nano/microplastics across twenty successive generations in the marine rotifer Proales similis

Researchers exposed marine rotifers to mercury and nano/microplastics across twenty successive generations to evaluate their combined toxicity. They found that while individual exposures had limited effects, the combination of mercury and microplastics caused significantly lower population growth rates and disrupted feeding behavior, demonstrating a synergistic toxic effect. The study suggests that long-term combined exposure to these common marine pollutants poses greater risks than either pollutant alone.

2026 Marine Pollution Bulletin
Article Tier 2

Toxicity comparison of polylactic acid and polyethylene microplastics co-exposed with methylmercury on Daphnia magna

Researchers compared the toxicity of biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics with conventional polyethylene microplastics, both alone and in combination with methylmercury, on water fleas. The biodegradable microplastics caused greater harm, significantly reducing survival and reproduction while also increasing mercury accumulation in the organisms. The findings challenge the assumption that biodegradable plastics are always safer for the environment, suggesting they may actually enhance the toxicity of co-occurring pollutants.

2024 Marine Pollution Bulletin 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on the accumulation and neurotoxicity of methylmercury in zebrafish larvae

Researchers found that microplastics can adsorb methylmercury and act as carriers, increasing its accumulation in zebrafish larvae and worsening neurotoxicity by disrupting locomotor activity and triggering oxidative stress.

2022 Marine Environmental Research 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Mixture Toxicity of Nickel and Microplastics with Different Functional Groups on Daphnia magna

Researchers investigated the combined toxicity of nickel and two types of polystyrene microplastics with different surface chemistries on Daphnia magna. They found that the presence of microplastics altered the toxicity of nickel, with surface functional groups playing an important role in determining the severity of combined effects. The study demonstrates that microplastics can modify the bioavailability and toxicity of heavy metals in freshwater environments.

2017 Environmental Science & Technology 282 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics potentiate mercury toxicity in a marine copepod under multigenerational exposure

Researchers exposed tiny marine crustaceans called copepods to nanoplastics and mercury over three generations. They found that nanoplastics significantly increased mercury accumulation in the animals, leading to lower survival and reduced reproduction compared to mercury exposure alone. The study suggests nanoplastics act as carriers that amplify the harmful effects of toxic metals in marine ecosystems.

2023 Aquatic Toxicology 31 citations
Article Tier 2

Do Polystyrene Beads Contribute to Accumulation of Methylmercury in Oysters?

Researchers studied whether polystyrene microplastic beads contribute to methylmercury bioaccumulation in oysters (Crassostrea gigas), examining the sorption of methylmercury onto plastic beads and evaluating whether ingestion of contaminated beads elevated mercury levels in oyster tissue.

2021 Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of microplastics on the accumulation and chronic toxic effects of cadmium in zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Researchers exposed zebrafish to polystyrene microplastics combined with cadmium for three weeks and found that the presence of microplastics significantly increased cadmium accumulation in the liver, gut, and gills. The combined exposure caused greater oxidative damage, tissue inflammation, and disruption of protective gene activity than either pollutant alone. The study demonstrates that microplastics can enhance the toxicity of heavy metals in fish by acting as carriers that increase the body's uptake of harmful substances.

2018 Chemosphere 461 citations
Article Tier 2

Insights into the synergistic toxicity mechanisms caused by nano- and microplastics with triclosan using a dose-dependent functional genomics approach in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Researchers used yeast functional genomics to investigate the combined toxicity of polystyrene nano- and microplastics with the antimicrobial compound triclosan. They found that the combined exposure produced synergistic toxic effects that were more harmful than either contaminant alone, disrupting cellular processes related to membrane integrity and protein function. The study provides molecular-level evidence that microplastics may amplify the toxicity of co-occurring chemical pollutants.

2024 Chemosphere 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Additive effects of microplastics on accumulation and toxicity of cadmium in male zebrafish

Researchers exposed adult zebrafish to polyethylene microplastics and cadmium, both individually and in combination, for 21 days. They found that microplastics and cadmium together produced additive toxic effects, increasing cadmium accumulation in fish tissues, altering behavior, and causing more severe organ damage. The study suggests that microplastics in contaminated waterways may worsen the harmful effects of heavy metals on aquatic life.

2023 Chemosphere 25 citations