Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Combined toxic effects of nanoplastics and norfloxacin on mussel: Leveraging biochemical parameters and gut microbiota

Researchers exposed mussels to nanoplastics and the antibiotic norfloxacin, both alone and together, and found that the combination caused greater biochemical stress than either pollutant alone. Nanoplastics appeared to carry the antibiotic into mussel tissues, increasing its bioavailability and impact on gut microbiota. The findings suggest that nanoplastics can amplify the toxicity of other contaminants in marine organisms.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Hetero-Aggregation of Nanoplastics with Freshwater Algae and the Toxicological Consequences: The Role of Extracellular Polymeric Substances

Researchers studied how polystyrene and polylactic acid nanoplastics hetero-aggregate with the alga Chlorella vulgaris, finding that extracellular polymeric substances released by algae strongly influenced aggregation behavior and that aggregation altered the toxicity of nanoplastics.

2025 Toxics
Article Tier 2

Hitchhikers in bivalve immune system: Mixed microplastics and nanoplastics triggers hemocyte autophagy

Researchers exposed bivalves to mixed microplastic and nanoplastic suspensions of multiple sizes and quantified the effects on hemocyte immune cell populations over time. Heterogeneous MNP mixtures reshaped hemocyte subpopulations non-additively, altering immune function in ways that single-size exposure studies would not predict.

2025 Environmental Pollution
Article Tier 2

Effects of sizes and concentrations of different types of microplastics on bioaccumulation and lethality rate in the green mussel, Perna viridis

Researchers investigated how different microplastic types, sizes, and concentrations affected bioaccumulation and mortality in green mussels, finding size- and concentration-dependent effects on MP accumulation in this filter-feeding species.

2021 Marine Pollution Bulletin 37 citations
Review Tier 2

Immunological responses, oxidative stress, and histopathological effects of nanoplastics on commercially relevant mussel species: A review

This review examines how nanoplastics affect commercially important mussel species, finding that these tiny particles can cross biological barriers and accumulate in tissues. Evidence indicates that nanoplastic exposure alters metabolic rates, triggers immune responses, causes oxidative stress and DNA damage, and changes the structure of gills, gonads, and gut tissue. The findings raise concerns about both mussel health and potential implications for seafood safety.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Comparative role of microplastics and microalgae as vectors for chlorpyrifos bioacumulation and related physiological and immune effects in mussels

Researchers compared microplastics and microalgae as vectors for chlorpyrifos transfer into mussels, finding that both particle types facilitated pesticide bioaccumulation with distinct physiological and immune effects on the organisms.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 28 citations
Article Tier 2

The combined effects of phenanthrene and micro-/nanoplastics mixtures on the cellular stress responses of the thick-shell mussel Mytilus coruscus

Scientists exposed thick-shell mussels to a combination of micro- and nanoplastics along with a common pollutant (phenanthrene) to study their combined effects. The mixtures caused more severe immune cell damage, increased oxidative stress, and stronger inflammatory responses than either pollutant alone. Evidence indicates that micro- and nanoplastics can worsen the toxic effects of organic pollutants in marine shellfish.

2023 Environmental Pollution 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Nano-scale and micron-scale plastics amplify the bioaccumulation of benzophenone-3 and ciprofloxacin, as well as their co-exposure effect on disturbing the antioxidant defense system in mussels, Perna viridis

Researchers studied how nano- and micro-sized plastic particles affect the accumulation of benzophenone-3 and the antibiotic ciprofloxacin in green mussels. They found that smaller plastic particles enhanced the uptake of both chemicals into mussel tissues and caused greater disruption to the animals' antioxidant defense systems. The study demonstrates that plastic particle size matters when assessing how microplastics transport and amplify the effects of other environmental contaminants in marine organisms.

2024 Environmental Pollution 8 citations
Article Tier 2

In vivo bioaccumulation and responses of hemocytes of mussels Perna viridis to microplastics and nanoplastics exposure

Researchers found that mussels exposed to environmentally realistic levels of micro- and nanoplastics quickly accumulated the particles in their blood cells (hemocytes) at concentrations approaching those of the surrounding water. The smaller nanoplastics were more readily taken up and caused more damage to cellular structures called lysosomes. Since mussels are widely consumed as seafood, their ability to concentrate microplastics in their tissues is relevant to human dietary exposure.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Heteroaggregates of Polystyrene Nanospheres and Organic Matter: Preparation, Characterization and Evaluation of Their Toxicity to Algae in Environmentally Relevant Conditions

Polystyrene nanospheres combined with natural organic matter to form heteroaggregates were found to be more toxic to algae under realistic environmental conditions than pristine nanoplastics, highlighting how environmental transformation of nanoplastics can alter their ecological risk.

2021 Nanomaterials 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Size-dependent effects of microplastics on intestinal microbiome for Perna viridis

Researchers found that the size of microplastic particles determines how they change the gut bacteria of green mussels, with the smallest particles causing the most disruption to beneficial bacteria and promoting potentially harmful species. Since mussels are widely consumed as seafood, changes to their gut health and the bacteria they carry could affect human food safety.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 23 citations
Article Tier 2

When microplastics meet microalgae: Unveiling the dynamic formation of aggregates and their impact on toxicity and environmental health

Researchers studied what happens when microplastics and algae meet in water, finding that algae colonize plastic surfaces and form clumps that absorb more toxic metals like copper than bare microplastics alone. This matters for human health because these microplastic-algae clumps can concentrate pollutants in aquatic food chains that eventually lead to the seafood on our plates.

2024 Water Research 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of microplastics pollution on ciprofloxacin bioaccumulation in the edible mussel (Perna viridis): Implications for human gut health risks

Researchers studied how microplastics affect the accumulation of the antibiotic ciprofloxacin in edible green mussels from a mariculture farm. They found that microplastics altered the way mussels absorbed and retained the antibiotic, with implications for human gut health when contaminated seafood is consumed. The study highlights the compounding food safety risks when multiple pollutants interact in aquaculture environments.

2024 Environmental Technology & Innovation 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of microplastics and natural microparticles on green Mussel (Perna viridis)

Researchers compared the effects of microplastics and natural microparticles on green mussels (Perna viridis), finding that natural microparticles caused similar or greater stress responses, suggesting that studies using only microplastics may overestimate their specific contribution to marine organism harm.

2021 IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Physiological effects of plastic particles on mussels are mediated by food presence

Thick shell mussels exposed to polystyrene nanoplastics (70 nm) and microplastics (10 µm) with and without microalgae food found that food presence mediated the physiological effects — microplastics reduced energy budget and increased oxidative stress markers most strongly when food was mixed with particles.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 95 citations
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

An ecotoxicological approach towards the understanding of the impacts of micro- and nanoplastics in the marine environment

This PhD thesis investigated how micro- and nanoplastics affect marine microalgae and associated microbial consortia, examining how extracellular polymeric substances mediate plastic-biota interactions and how these effects cascade to higher trophic levels in marine food webs.

2025 Ghent University Academic Bibliography (Ghent University)
Article Tier 2

Effects of nanoplastics on clam Ruditapes philippinarum at environmentally realistic concentrations: Toxicokinetics, toxicity, and gut microbiota

Researchers exposed clams to nanoplastics at concentrations found in real marine environments and tracked how the particles accumulated in their tissues over 14 days. The nanoplastics caused physical damage and significantly altered the clams' gut bacteria. This is concerning because clams are widely consumed seafood, meaning nanoplastic contamination could affect both marine ecosystems and human food sources.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of size continuum from nanoplastics to microplastics on marine mussel Mytilus edulis: Comparison in vitro/in vivo exposure scenarios

Researchers compared the effects of nanoplastics versus microplastics on marine mussels using both in vivo and in vitro approaches, finding that smaller plastic particles caused greater cellular and physiological impacts across the size continuum.

2022 Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part C Toxicology & Pharmacology 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of nanoplastics on hemolymph immune parameters and microbiota composition in Mytilus galloprovincialis

Mytilus galloprovincialis mussels exposed to amino-modified polystyrene nanoplastics for 96 hours showed disrupted hemolymph immune parameters and significant shifts in microbiota composition, suggesting nanoplastics alter both immune function and the microbial communities mussels rely on.

2020 Marine Environmental Research 93 citations
Article Tier 2

Exposure to nanoplastics affects the outcome of infectious disease in phytoplankton

Researchers exposed a cyanobacterium-fungal parasite system to polystyrene nanoplastics and found that at high concentrations, NPs formed heteroaggregates with phytoplankton cells, altered host-parasite dynamics, and disrupted disease outcomes in an ecologically relevant model.

2021 Environmental Pollution 32 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics aggravate the bioaccumulation of three veterinary antibiotics in the thick shell mussel Mytilus coruscus and induce synergistic immunotoxic effects

Researchers studied how polystyrene microplastics interact with three common veterinary antibiotics in thick shell mussels. The study found that when microplastics and antibiotics were present together, mussels accumulated significantly more antibiotics in their tissues and suffered worse immune damage than from either pollutant alone. This synergistic effect included reduced immune cell counts, increased oxidative stress, and disrupted immune gene expression, suggesting that microplastic pollution may amplify the harmful effects of antibiotic contamination in coastal waters.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 134 citations
Article Tier 2

Mercury interactions with algal and plastic microparticles: Comparative role as vectors of metals for the mussel, Mytilus galloprovincialis

Researchers compared the role of microplastics and microalgae as mercury vectors in mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis), finding that microplastic-bound mercury had lower clearance rates (82%) than microalgae-bound mercury (95%) but resulted in higher total Hg accumulation and elimination. Despite facilitating Hg entry, microplastics also promoted faster Hg elimination, with mercury accumulating primarily in the digestive gland rather than the gills of MP-exposed mussels.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 75 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic interactions with freshwater microalgae: Hetero-aggregation and changes in plastic density appear strongly dependent on polymer type

Researchers studied interactions between microplastics and freshwater microalgae, finding that microplastics can physically attach to algal cells to form hetero-aggregates, altering both particle behavior and algal physiology.

2016 Environmental Pollution 704 citations