Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Efficacy of freshwater pearl mussel (Lamellidens marginalis) as a biomonitoring tool for assessing microplastic pollution

Laboratory experiments showed that freshwater pearl mussels readily ingested microplastic particles, which then accumulated in their organs and tissues and caused measurable histological damage. This is relevant because freshwater mussels are widely used as biomonitors of water quality, and the findings confirm they can serve as indicators of microplastic pollution while also showing that this pollution harms them.

2023 Archives of Agriculture and Environmental Science
Article Tier 2

Copper-Induced Ionoregulatory Disturbance, Histopathology, and Transcriptome Responses in Freshwater Mussel (Anodonta woodiana) Gills

Researchers investigated copper toxicity in the freshwater mussel Anodonta woodiana, finding that sublethal exposure caused ionoregulatory disturbance, gill histopathology, and significant transcriptomic changes related to stress response and immune function.

2023 Fishes 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxicopathic effects of lithium in mussels

Researchers investigated the toxicity of lithium in mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) through acute and sublethal exposure tests, finding that lithium caused significant histopathological changes and oxidative stress, raising concerns about increasing lithium contamination in marine environments.

2022 Chemosphere 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Lead Exposure Induces Structural Damage, Digestive Stress, Immune Response and Microbiota Dysbiosis in Intestine of Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys Molitrix)

This study examined how lead exposure damages the intestines of silver carp, finding structural damage to gut tissue, impaired digestive enzymes, immune disruption, and changes to the gut microbiome. Lead is a common heavy metal pollutant in waterways and accumulates in fish tissues. The findings are relevant to human health because people consume fish from lead-contaminated waters.

2021 Research Square (Research Square) 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Histopathology of the Foot, Gill and Digestive Gland Tissues of Freshwater Mussel, Lamellidens marginalis Exposed to Oil Effluent

Histopathological damage was examined in the foot, gill, and digestive gland tissues of the freshwater mussel Lamellidens marginalis exposed to sub-lethal concentrations of oil effluent (hydrocarbon). Results showed tissue-specific injury patterns at concentrations of 11.88 and 8.55 ppt that mirrored real-world pollution exposures.

2021 Austin Journal of Environmental Toxicology 18 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Monitoring water contamination through shellfish: A systematic review of biomarkers, species selection, and host response.

Across 20 studies spanning 14 countries, shellfish proved highly sensitive to minor environmental changes, with 26 species and 35 effect biomarkers identified, supporting their use as reliable bioindicators of water quality, though standardized monitoring protocols are still needed.

2025 Ecotoxicology and environmental safety
Article Tier 2

A Comprehensive Review on Cadmium Toxicity in Freshwater Fish: Physiological, Ecological and Health Implications

This comprehensive review examines cadmium toxicity in freshwater fish, covering physiological damage to gills, kidneys, liver, and gonads, ecological impacts on fish populations, and implications for human health through consumption of cadmium-contaminated aquatic food.

2025 Asian Journal of Research in Zoology
Review Tier 2

The use of green mussel as bioindicator of heavy metal pollution in Indonesia: a review

This review covers the use of Asian green mussel Perna viridis as a bioindicator of heavy metal pollution in Indonesian waters, summarizing studies on metal accumulation in mussel tissue relative to water quality and discussing implications for seafood safety.

2021 Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Investigating the Impact of Environmental Toxicology of Heavy Metals in Fish: A Study of Rivers of Pakistan

This review examined heavy metal toxicity in fish from rivers of Pakistan, summarizing the routes of exposure, organ-specific accumulation patterns, and risks to human consumers who depend on these freshwater fish as protein sources.

2023 Scientific Inquiry and Review 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Early Detection of Heavy Metal Pollution with Biological Markers in Freshwater Clam (Corbicula javanica) in Maros River, Indonesia

Scientists found that freshwater clams can serve as early warning systems for dangerous heavy metals like lead and cadmium in rivers by producing special proteins called metallothioneins when exposed to these pollutants. The clams showed signs of metal poisoning within just one to five weeks, making them useful "canaries in the coal mine" for detecting water contamination before it reaches dangerous levels. This matters because heavy metals in water sources can eventually make their way into drinking water and food, potentially harming human health.

2026 Jurnal Perikanan Universitas Gadjah Mada
Article Tier 2

Food-type may jeopardize biomarker interpretation in mussels used in aquatic toxicological experimentation

Researchers found that the type of microalgae diet fed to mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) under laboratory conditions significantly influenced biomarker responses, raising concerns about the reliability of biomarker interpretation in aquatic toxicology experiments when food type is not carefully controlled.

2019 PLoS ONE 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Pb Toxicity on Gut Physiology and Microbiota

This review summarizes the effects of lead toxicity on gut physiology and the intestinal microbiota across animal models and humans. Researchers found that lead exposure disrupts the gut barrier, alters microbial community composition, and can promote inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract. The study highlights the gut as an important but often overlooked target of lead toxicity, with implications for understanding how heavy metal exposure affects overall health.

2021 Frontiers in Physiology 76 citations
Article Tier 2

Heavy metal accumulation in a bioindicator species, Limpet Patella caerulea, in Yalova (İzmit Bay): Risk assessment for human health

Researchers examined monthly heavy metal concentrations (cadmium, copper, lead, zinc, nickel, and iron) in the whole-body tissue of the limpet Patella caerulea as a bioindicator species in Izmit Bay, Marmara Sea, and conducted a human health risk assessment based on measured metal levels. The study found that cadmium levels exceeded safe limits in all sampled months and lead exceeded limits in autumn, indicating potential health risks for consumers of limpets from this heavily industrialized coastal area.

2022 Oceanological and Hydrobiological Studies 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxic Impact of Polystyrene Microplastics (PS-MPs) on Freshwater Mussel Lamellidens marginalis

Researchers exposed freshwater mussels to polystyrene microplastic fibers for up to 15 days and measured changes in biochemical parameters across multiple tissues. The study found reduced protein levels and enzyme activity changes in gills, hepatopancreas, mantle, and foot tissues, with the integrated biomarker response indicating progressively worsening physiological stress over the exposure period.

2026 Microplastics
Article Tier 2

Morphological, Gene, and Hormonal Changes in Gonads and In-Creased Micrococcal Nuclease Accessibility of Sperm Chromatin Induced by Mercury

Researchers found that mercury exposure caused gonadal damage in mussels, including reduced steroidogenic enzyme activity, decreased protamine-like protein gene expression, and impaired sperm chromatin structure, indicating reproductive toxicity at low concentrations.

2022 Biomolecules 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Are microplastics impacting shellfish?

Researchers investigated whether microplastic contamination measurably impacts shellfish physiology, growth, reproduction, and health outcomes, assessing the ecological and food safety implications of microplastic exposure in commercially and ecologically important bivalve species.

2024
Article Tier 2

Microplastics can aggravate the impact of ocean acidification on the health of mussels: Insights from physiological performance, immunity and byssus properties

Researchers found that the combination of ocean acidification and microplastic exposure weakened mussel immune systems, reduced feeding performance, and degraded the quality of byssus threads used for attachment. The study suggests that co-occurring ocean acidification and microplastic pollution could increase the vulnerability of bivalves to disease and dislodgement, threatening their survival in future marine environments.

2022 Environmental Pollution 69 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

Mussel: a potential pollution indicator in the aquatic ecosystem and effect of climate change

This review examines the biology and ecology of mussels as environmental indicator organisms, covering how they respond to pollution, temperature, and other stressors including microplastics. Mussels are widely used as bioindicators of marine pollution because they filter large volumes of water and accumulate contaminants including microplastic particles in their tissues.

2020 International Journal of Environment and Geoinformatics 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of the reproductive cycle and sex on microplastic toxicity in mussels

Researchers examined how sex and reproductive stage affect the toxicity of plastic leachates in mussels, finding that biological factors like reproductive cycle significantly influence how marine invertebrates respond to plastic chemical contamination.

2025
Article Tier 2

The Chemical and Microbiological Contaminants and Safety of Mussels

This review examines the range of chemical and microbiological contaminants found in mussels, which are widely consumed seafood and serve as indicators of water quality due to their filter-feeding behavior. Contaminants of concern include heavy metals, microplastics, persistent organic pollutants, PCBs, PFAS, and various pharmaceuticals detected in contaminated coastal waters.

2024 Food Safety
Article Tier 2

Exposure to microplastics renders immunity of the thick-shell mussel more vulnerable to diarrhetic shellfish toxin-producing harmful algae

Researchers found that mussels previously exposed to microplastics became more vulnerable to toxic algae blooms, suffering greater immune system damage than mussels without prior microplastic exposure. The microplastics weakened the mussels' defenses by causing oxidative stress, cell death, and energy depletion, leaving them less able to fight off the algal toxins. Since mussels are widely consumed as seafood, this combined threat could affect both marine ecosystems and food safety for humans.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 13 citations
Article Tier 2

The Combined Effects of Cadmium and Microplastic Mixtures on the Digestion, Energy Metabolism, Oxidative Stress Regulation, Immune Function, and Metabolomes in the Pearl Oyster (Pinctada fucata martensii)

Researchers studied the combined effects of cadmium and microplastics on pearl oysters, measuring impacts on digestion, energy use, immune function, and metabolism. They found that co-exposure to both pollutants caused more severe damage than either alone, disrupting the oysters' antioxidant defenses and metabolic processes. The study highlights the compounding threat that metal and microplastic pollution together pose to marine shellfish.

2025 Fishes 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Affect Energy Balance and Gametogenesis in the Pearl Oyster Pinctada margaritifera

Pearl oysters exposed to microplastics showed disrupted energy metabolism and impaired gametogenesis, suggesting that plastic pollution could threaten the reproductive success of marine bivalves used in pearl farming. The findings have economic as well as ecological implications, given that pearl farming is a major industry in tropical Pacific island nations.

2018 Environmental Science & Technology 229 citations