Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

Microplastics as Vehicles of Environmental PAHs to Marine Organisms: Combined Chemical and Physical Hazards to the Mediterranean Mussels, Mytilus galloprovincialis

Researchers exposed Mediterranean mussels to microplastics that had adsorbed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from contaminated harbor water and observed both physical and chemical hazard effects. The study found that microplastics acted as vehicles delivering PAHs to mussel tissues, causing cellular stress responses, immune modulation, and genotoxicity beyond what clean microplastics produced alone.

2018 Frontiers in Marine Science 383 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessing the Impact of Chrysene-Sorbed Polystyrene Microplastics on Different Life Stages of the Mediterranean Mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis

Polystyrene microplastics loaded with chrysene were found to impair early larval development and alter physiological markers in Mediterranean mussels, with chrysene-loaded MPs causing greater harm than clean MPs, demonstrating that sorbed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons compound the toxicity of ingested particles.

2021 Applied Sciences 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Uptake and absorption of fluoranthene from spiked microplastics into the digestive gland tissues of blue mussels, Mytilus edulis L.

Researchers found that blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) exposed to PVC microplastics spiked with the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon fluoranthene absorbed the contaminant into digestive gland tissues, demonstrating that contaminated microplastics can deliver PAH pollutants directly into marine invertebrate tissues.

2021 Chemosphere 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Biomarker Effects of Diesel Fuel Hydrocarbons Absorbed to PE-Plastic Debris on Mussel Mytilus trossulus

Experiments exposing Pacific mussels (Mytilus trossulus) to polyethylene plastic fragments contaminated with diesel fuel hydrocarbons showed that the plastic acted as a vector, delivering petroleum toxins to mussel tissues and causing oxidative stress and lysosomal membrane damage. This demonstrates that plastic debris in the ocean can amplify the toxic impact of chemical pollutants on shellfish and potentially on humans who consume them.

2023 Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic ingestion in mussels from the East Mediterranean Sea: Exploring its impacts in nature and controlled conditions

Mussels from fish farms in the eastern Mediterranean had the highest microplastic contamination, likely from plastic aquaculture equipment, while mussels from a Marine Protected Area had the lowest. The study found that higher microplastic levels in mussels were linked to measurable signs of oxidative stress, DNA damage, and nerve toxicity, showing that these filter-feeding shellfish -- commonly eaten by people -- are actively harmed by the plastic particles they ingest.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of environmental microplastics alone and mixed with benzo[a]pyrene on cellular and molecular responses of Mytilus galloprovincialis

Researchers exposed Mediterranean mussels to environmentally collected microplastics from a beach, both alone and combined with the pollutant benzo[a]pyrene, at ecologically relevant concentrations. The study found that even short-term exposure caused cellular and molecular responses in the mussels, and the combination of microplastics with chemical pollutants produced different effects than either contaminant alone.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 69 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics alone or with sorbed oil compounds from the water accommodated fraction of a North Sea crude oil on marine mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis)

Researchers investigated whether polystyrene microplastics could act as a Trojan horse for oil pollutants in marine mussels and found that while mussels accumulated PAHs from crude oil exposure, microplastics alone did not significantly enhance pollutant transfer or cause additional toxic effects.

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

Bioaccumulation of emerging contaminants in mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis): Influence of microplastics

Researchers investigated whether microplastics influence the bioaccumulation of emerging contaminants in Mediterranean mussels. The study found that the presence of microplastics altered how certain chemical pollutants accumulated in mussel tissue, suggesting that microplastics can act as carriers that change the uptake and distribution of other contaminants in marine organisms.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 76 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of environmentally relevant levels of polyethylene microplastic on Mytilus galloprovincialis (Mollusca: Bivalvia): filtration rate and oxidative stress

Researchers exposed Mediterranean mussels to polyethylene microplastics at environmentally relevant concentrations and found significant reductions in filtration rate and signs of oxidative damage in the digestive gland. The study suggests that microplastics as small as 40-48 micrometers can disrupt antioxidant defenses in bivalves even at low concentrations, raising concerns about their impact on marine filter-feeders.

2021 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 99 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxicological Impacts of Microplastics: Effects on Levels of Cellular Thiols in Mytilus galloprovincialis

Researchers investigated how microplastic exposure affects cellular thiol antioxidants in Mediterranean mussels, finding that short-term exposure altered glutathione and ovothiol levels, indicating oxidative stress as a key mechanism of microplastic toxicity in benthic species.

2023 Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 8 citations
Article Tier 2

The effect of different types of microplastic and acute cadmium exposure on the Mytilus galloprovincialis (Lamarck, 1819)

This study examined how different types of microplastics, alone and combined with cadmium, affect Mediterranean mussels that are widely consumed as seafood. Exposure to microplastics and cadmium caused oxidative stress, tissue damage, and neurotoxicity in the mussels, with combined exposure being worse than either pollutant alone. The health risk calculations for human consumers exceeded safety limits, suggesting that microplastic-contaminated mussels could pose a real food safety concern.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 14 citations
Article Tier 2

The sub-lethal impact of plastic and tire rubber leachates on the Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis

Researchers exposed Mediterranean mussels to leachates from five plastic and rubber types (PP, PET, PS, PVC, car tire rubber) and found sub-lethal effects including lysosomal damage, lipid peroxidation, and oxidative stress, with tire rubber, PVC, and polypropylene causing the most severe harm due to higher metal and organic additive content.

2021 Environmental Pollution 86 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic intake and enzymatic responses in Mytilus galloprovincialis reared at the vicinities of an aquaculture station

Researchers evaluated antioxidant defenses and oxidative stress markers in gills of Mediterranean mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) reared near an aquaculture station, finding that microplastics derived from aquaculture activities induced significant enzymatic stress responses.

2021 Chemosphere 45 citations
Article Tier 2

Study of the ageing and the sorption of polyaromatic hydrocarbons as influencing factors on the effects of microplastics on blue mussel

Researchers studied how aging and the absorption of polyaromatic hydrocarbons affect the impact of microplastics on blue mussels. They found that microplastics aged by UV radiation and those carrying adsorbed pollutants caused different biological effects compared to pristine particles, altering mussel filtration rates, gene expression, and oxidative stress responses. The study highlights that the real-world condition of microplastics matters significantly when assessing their environmental impact.

2023 Aquatic Toxicology 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Oxidative Stress in Mussel Mytilus trossulus Induced by Different-Sized Plastics

Researchers exposed mussels to both tiny polystyrene microparticles and larger polyethylene plastic fragments and found that both sizes triggered oxidative stress in the animals. The plastic exposure caused DNA damage, weakened cellular membranes, and destabilized immune cell structures in the mussels' gills and digestive glands. The findings indicate that plastics of any size and polymer type can be harmful to marine filter-feeding organisms.

2024 Journal of Xenobiotics 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Short-term exposure to polystyrene microplastics hampers the cellular function of gills in the Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis

Even short-term exposure (72 hours) to polystyrene microplastics disrupted gill function in Mediterranean mussels, a species commonly eaten by humans. The microplastics accumulated in gill tissue and caused metabolic disorders including changes in energy production, nerve signaling, and salt balance, along with oxidative stress. Since mussels are filter feeders that concentrate microplastics from seawater, these findings raise questions about the quality of shellfish as human food.

2023 Aquatic Toxicology 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecotoxicological risk of microplastics for marine organisms

Italian researchers studied whether microplastics act as vectors for chemical pollutants by measuring how pyrene and cadmium adsorb onto polyethylene and polystyrene microplastics and transfer to mussels. They found evidence of contaminant transfer and cellular stress responses, raising concerns about the combined toxicity of microplastics and their associated chemicals.

2016 Università Politecnica delle Marche (Università Politecnica delle Marche)
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene nanoplastics in the marine mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis.

This study investigated how polystyrene nanoplastics affect Mediterranean mussels, an important marine species and human food source. Researchers found that these tiny plastic particles can cross cell membranes, accumulate in tissues, and trigger oxidative stress and immune responses. The findings suggest that nanoplastic pollution in the ocean could affect both marine ecosystem health and the safety of seafood consumed by people.

2023 Environmental Pollution 40 citations
Article Tier 2

Cellular and tissue-level responses of mussels (Mytilus edulis) to aged polyethylene terephthalate (PET) micro- and nanoplastic particles

This study exposed mussels to environmentally realistic concentrations of aged PET micro- and nanoplastics and found measurable cellular damage even at the lowest doses tested. The plastic particles caused inflammation, oxidative stress, and tissue changes in the mussels' digestive systems. Since mussels are a common seafood and are often eaten whole, these findings are relevant to understanding human microplastic exposure through shellfish consumption.

2025 Aquatic Toxicology 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and other anthropogenic particles are prevalent in mussels from San Francisco Bay, and show no correlation with PAHs

Resident mussels and transplant caged mussels from five San Francisco Bay sites all contained microplastics and anthropogenic microparticles, but PAH concentrations in transplant mussels showed no significant correlation with microplastic loads, suggesting microplastics are not a dominant PAH delivery vector in this system.

2020 Environmental Pollution 76 citations
Article Tier 2

Immunotoxicity of petroleum hydrocarbons and microplastics alone or in combination to a bivalve species: Synergic impacts and potential toxication mechanisms

Marine mussels exposed to petroleum hydrocarbons and microplastics separately and together showed that combined exposure caused greater immune suppression and lysosomal damage than either stressor alone, identifying oxidative stress pathways as a key mechanism of joint toxicity.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 66 citations
Article Tier 2

Pollutants bioavailability and toxicological risk from microplastics to marine mussels

Researchers tested whether polyethylene and polystyrene microplastics could absorb the pollutant pyrene from water and then transfer it to marine mussels. They found that both types of microplastics readily absorbed pyrene and that mussels exposed to contaminated microplastics showed increased levels of the pollutant in their tissues along with signs of cellular stress. The study provides direct evidence that microplastics can act as carriers of harmful chemicals into the bodies of filter-feeding marine organisms.

2015 Environmental Pollution 1335 citations
Article Tier 2

Accumulation, Depuration, and Biological Effects of Polystyrene Microplastic Spheres and Adsorbed Cadmium and Benzo(a)pyrene on the Mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis

Researchers found that mussels accumulated polystyrene microplastics in a size- and concentration-dependent manner, and that microplastics acted as carriers for the organic pollutant benzo(a)pyrene but not cadmium, with short-term exposure causing digestive gland alterations.

2022 Toxics 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Histopathological and cytochemical analysis of ingested polyethylenepowder in the digestive gland of the blue mussel, Mytilus edulis (L.)

Researchers examined the damage caused by ingested polyethylene powder in the digestive glands of blue mussels using microscopy and chemical staining, providing histological evidence of cellular effects. The study demonstrated that physical ingestion of plastic particles causes measurable tissue-level harm in the digestive organs of these widely consumed shellfish.

2010 1 citations