Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Sub-chronic nanoplastic toxicity in Etroplus suratensis (Pisces, Cichilidae): Insights into tissue accumulation, stress and metabolic disruption

Researchers exposed pearl spot fish to polystyrene nanoplastics at different concentrations for 14 days and found that the particles accumulated in multiple organs with concentration-dependent distribution patterns. The nanoplastics caused elevated glucose and cholesterol levels, suppressed antioxidant defenses, and increased markers of oxidative damage and stress. Gene expression changes in stress response and growth-related genes suggest that nanoplastic exposure may impair both immune function and normal development in fish.

2025 Aquatic Toxicology 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics are bioaccumulated in fish liver and muscle and cause DNA damage after a chronic exposure

Researchers chronically exposed fish to nanoplastics and, for the first time, quantified nanoplastic accumulation in liver and muscle tissue. They found that nanoplastics bioaccumulated in these organs and caused DNA damage in the exposed fish. The study provides important evidence that long-term nanoplastic exposure can lead to measurable tissue contamination and genetic harm in aquatic organisms.

2022 Environmental Research 114 citations
Article Tier 2

From gonads to generations: Mechanistic insights into reproductive disruption by polystyrene nanoplastics and co-contaminants in fish

This review synthesizes current research on how polystyrene nanoplastics impair reproductive health in fish, including disruption of gonad structure, hormone levels, and gene regulation along the reproductive axis. Researchers found that nanoplastics can cause oxidative stress and inflammation in reproductive tissues and may even affect offspring development. The findings raise concerns about the long-term effects of nanoplastic pollution on fish populations and aquatic ecosystem health.

2025 Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastics cause tissue damages, sex-specific reproductive disruption and transgenerational effects in marine medaka (Oryzias melastigma)

Researchers exposed marine medaka fish to environmentally realistic concentrations of polystyrene microplastics and found tissue damage, oxidative stress, and sex-specific reproductive disruption. The effects carried over to the next generation even without direct microplastic exposure. The study provides evidence that microplastics at levels found in the ocean can cause lasting biological harm across generations in fish.

2019 Environmental Pollution 507 citations
Article Tier 2

Tissue damage, antioxidant capacity, transcriptional and metabolic regulation of red drum Sciaenops ocellatus in response to nanoplastics exposure and subsequent recovery

Researchers exposed red drum fish to polystyrene nanoplastics for seven days and then monitored their recovery over two weeks. They found persistent liver and gill tissue damage along with ongoing oxidative stress even after the nanoplastics were removed from the water. The study suggests that nanoplastic exposure can cause lasting harm to marine fish that does not quickly reverse once the exposure ends.

2024 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Long-Term Exposure to Polystyrene Nanoplastics Impairs the Liver Health of Medaka

Researchers found that three months of exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics caused significant liver damage in medaka fish, including oxidative stress, immune disruption, and altered gene expression related to lipid metabolism and detoxification pathways.

2022 Water 23 citations
Article Tier 2

The Effect of Exposure to Polystyrene Nanoplastics on Cytokine Levels and Reproductive System of Male Tilapia

Researchers fed male tilapia fish different doses of polystyrene nanoplastics for 25 days and examined the effects on their reproductive systems. While inflammatory markers in the blood were not significantly affected, the nanoplastics caused a notable reduction in the number of sperm-producing cells in testicular tissue. The study suggests that nanoplastic exposure may pose risks to reproductive health in fish even without triggering obvious immune responses.

2024 Tropical Journal of Natural Product Research 5 citations
Article Tier 2

The Pressing Issue of Micro- and Nanoplastic Contamination: Profiling the Reproductive Alterations Mediated by Oxidative Stress

This review examined how micro- and nanoplastics affect reproductive health across aquatic and land-based organisms, focusing on oxidative stress as the primary damage mechanism. Researchers found that these plastic particles can reach the gonads through the bloodstream and even accumulate in human and mouse placenta, with harmful effects on sperm and egg development, embryo growth, and offspring survival. The severity of reproductive harm appears to increase with smaller particle sizes and longer exposure times.

2022 Antioxidants 82 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxic effects of microplastic and nanoplastic on the reproduction of teleost fish in aquatic environments

This review summarizes research on how microplastics and nanoplastics harm the reproductive systems of fish, covering effects on fertility, sperm quality, egg development, and offspring abnormalities. The tiny plastic particles enter fish through their digestive tract, gills, and skin, causing oxidative damage that disrupts reproduction at the molecular and cellular level. Since fish are a major protein source for humans, reproductive damage to fish populations could affect both food security and the transfer of microplastics through the food chain.

2024 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Transcriptome and Gene Family Analyses Reveal the Physiological and Immune Regulatory Mechanisms of Channa maculata Larvae in Response to Nanoplastic-Induced Oxidative Stress

Researchers exposed larvae of blotched snakehead fish to polystyrene nanoplastics at concentrations ranging from 0.05 to 20 mg/L and observed concentration-dependent damage to the liver and intestines. The nanoplastics triggered oxidative stress responses and affected genes involved in immune regulation and detoxification. The study suggests that nanoplastic pollution during early fish development could compromise both organ function and immune defenses.

2026 Antioxidants
Article Tier 2

Low particle concentrations of nanoplastics impair the gut health of medaka

Researchers exposed Japanese medaka fish to low concentrations of nanoplastics for three months and observed significant damage to gut health, including tissue injury, impaired digestive enzymes, weakened immunity, and disrupted gut bacteria. Even at particle concentrations considered environmentally realistic, the nanoplastics caused measurable harm and increased mortality. The study suggests that long-term exposure to low levels of nanoplastics may pose greater risks to fish health than previously assumed.

2023 Aquatic Toxicology 37 citations
Article Tier 2

Different effects of nano- and microplastics on oxidative status and gut microbiota in the marine medaka Oryzias melastigma

Researchers compared the effects of nanoplastics and microplastics on oxidative stress and gut microbiota in marine medaka fish. They found that nanoplastics caused more severe oxidative damage and greater disruption to the gut microbial community than larger microplastic particles. The study suggests that particle size plays a critical role in determining the biological impact of plastic pollution on aquatic organisms.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 244 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of Sub-Chronic Exposure to Polystyrene Nanoplastics on Lipid and Antioxidant Metabolism in Sparus aurata

Researchers exposed gilthead seabream to polystyrene nanoplastics for 14 days and measured effects on blood, tissue, and gene expression. While the fish showed no visible tissue damage or changes in body condition, they had reduced hemoglobin levels and significant downregulation of genes related to fat metabolism, growth, and antioxidant defense. The study suggests that nanoplastics can cause subtle but meaningful biological changes in fish even when outward signs of harm are absent.

2025 Animals 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene Nanoplastics Induce Multi-Organ Toxicity in the Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss): An Integrated Assessment of Physiological, Immunological, and Molecular Responses

Rainbow trout were exposed to polystyrene nanoplastics at three concentrations for 28 days and assessed for physiological, immunological, and molecular responses across multiple organs. NPs accumulated in liver, spleen, and intestine, causing dose-dependent oxidative stress, immune dysregulation, and altered gene expression, demonstrating multi-organ toxicity in a commercially important fish species.

2025
Article Tier 2

Effects of polystyrene nanoplastics on oxidative stress, histopathology and intestinal microbiota in largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides)

Researchers exposed largemouth bass — a commercially important freshwater fish — to polystyrene nanoplastics (tiny plastic particles 100 nanometers in size) for up to 19 days, finding tissue damage in the gills, liver, and intestines along with elevated markers of cellular stress. While growth was not significantly affected, the fish adjusted their gut microbiome in response, suggesting nanoplastics trigger adaptive but potentially harmful physiological changes.

2022 Aquaculture Reports 42 citations
Article Tier 2

Differential modulation of oxidative stress, antioxidant defense, histomorphology, ion-regulation and growth marker gene expression in goldfish (Carassius auratus) following exposure to different dose of virgin microplastics

Goldfish exposed to two doses of virgin PVC microplastics for four days showed dose-dependent gill, liver, and intestinal tissue damage, elevated oxidative stress markers, disrupted antioxidant enzyme activity, and altered expression of ion-regulation and growth marker genes.

2020 Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part C Toxicology & Pharmacology 103 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Potential toxicity of nanoplastics to fish and aquatic invertebrates: Current understanding, mechanistic interpretation, and meta-analysis

Nanoplastics significantly reduced survival, behavior, and reproduction of fish and aquatic invertebrates by 56%, 24%, and 36% respectively, while increasing oxidative stress by 72% and decreasing antioxidant defenses by 24%, with effects influenced by particle size, functional groups, and concentration.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 77 citations
Article Tier 2

Chronic microfiber exposure in adult Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes)

Adult Japanese medaka fish chronically exposed to polyester and polypropylene microfibers showed histological changes in gut and liver, altered gene expression in inflammation and oxidative stress pathways, and disrupted reproductive output, demonstrating tissue-level harm from realistic fiber concentrations.

2020 PLoS ONE 105 citations
Article Tier 2

The multigenerational effects of nanoplastic exposure on fitness and oxidative stress of Drosophila melanogaster

Researchers tracked the effects of nanoplastic exposure on fitness and oxidative stress markers across multiple generations of a small aquatic invertebrate. Reproductive success and antioxidant defenses deteriorated progressively across generations, suggesting that multigenerational exposure to nanoplastics causes cumulative ecological harm.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Ecotoxicological effects of polystyrene nanoplastics on common carp: Insights into blood parameters, DNA damage, and gene expression

Exposing common carp to polystyrene nanoplastics caused significant DNA damage in blood and brain cells, along with changes in genes related to immune function and stress response. Higher concentrations led to more severe effects, and the nanoplastics also disrupted liver antioxidant defenses. Since carp are widely consumed fish, these findings raise questions about the safety of fish from nanoplastic-contaminated waters for human consumption.

2024 Journal of Applied Toxicology 14 citations