Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

Metabolic profile changes of zebrafish larvae in the single- and co-exposures of microplastics and phenanthrene

Researchers exposed zebrafish larvae to microplastics and the pollutant phenanthrene, both individually and together, and analyzed changes in their metabolic profiles. They found that combined exposure triggered unique metabolic disruptions not seen with either contaminant alone, particularly in amino acid metabolism pathways. The study provides evidence that microplastics and organic pollutants can interact to produce novel toxic effects in aquatic organisms.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined effect of microplastics and tire particles on Daphnia magna: Insights from physiological and transcriptomic responses

Researchers investigated the combined effects of microplastics and tire particles on the water flea Daphnia magna, finding that the mixture triggered significant oxidative stress at environmentally relevant concentrations. Transcriptomic analysis revealed upregulation of antioxidant and metabolic stress genes, while energy reserves like glycogen were affected. The study suggests that co-exposure to these common freshwater pollutants may pose greater ecological risks than either particle type alone.

2025 Environmental Pollution 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Metabolomics reveals the mechanism of polyethylene microplastic toxicity to Daphnia magna

Using metabolomics and traditional toxicology, researchers investigated how polyethylene microplastics of different sizes affect the water flea Daphnia magna. The study found that microplastic exposure disrupted amino acid metabolism, lipid metabolism, and energy pathways, with smaller particles generally causing more pronounced metabolic disturbances.

2022 Chemosphere 56 citations
Article Tier 2

Pathway-dependent toxic interaction between polystyrene microbeads and methylmercury on the brackish water flea Diaphanosoma celebensis: Based on mercury bioaccumulation, cytotoxicity, and transcriptomic analysis

Researchers studied how polystyrene microplastics interact with methylmercury toxicity in a small marine crustacean. They found that co-exposure to microplastics actually reduced mercury accumulation and some toxic effects, but the combination triggered synergistic harm to DNA replication processes. The study highlights that microplastics can alter mercury toxicity in complex ways depending on the biological pathway involved.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluation of Microplastics and Microcystin-LR Effect for Asian Clams (Corbicula fluminea) by a Metabolomics Approach

Researchers used a metabolomics approach to investigate the combined effects of microplastics and microcystin-LR on Asian clams, finding that co-exposure caused distinct metabolic responses compared to individual exposures. The study reveals mechanistic interactions between two co-occurring freshwater pollutants at the cellular metabolic level.

2023 Marine Biotechnology 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined toxicity of perfluoroalkyl substances and microplastics on the sentinel species Daphnia magna: Implications for freshwater ecosystems

This study tested how PFAS chemicals (common industrial pollutants) and PET microplastics affect water fleas, both alone and together. The combination caused worse developmental and reproductive problems than either pollutant alone, and organisms with prior chemical exposure history responded differently, showing that microplastics can amplify the harm of other environmental contaminants in ways that are difficult to predict.

2024 Environmental Pollution 37 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

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

Suborganismal responses of the aquatic midge Chironomus riparius to polyethylene microplastics

Researchers exposed Chironomus riparius larvae to polyethylene microplastics and used transcriptomics and metabolomics to characterize suborganismal responses, finding disruption of oxidative stress pathways, energy metabolism, and cuticle synthesis — effects not captured by standard life-history endpoints alone.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 44 citations
Article Tier 2

Multi-omics characterisation of Daphnia magna exposed to PFAS and microplastics: transcriptome and gut microbiome datasets

Researchers generated a multi-omics dataset from Daphnia magna exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations of PFOS, PFOA, and PET microplastics, integrating gut microbiome 16S rRNA profiling and whole-organism transcriptomes to enable systems-level investigation of host-microbiome interactions under complex contaminant stress.

2025
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

Microplastics increase mercury bioconcentration in gills and bioaccumulation in the liver, and cause oxidative stress and damage in Dicentrarchus labrax juveniles

Researchers exposed juvenile European sea bass to mercury, microplastics, and their mixture for 96 hours and found that microplastics increased mercury bioconcentration in gills and bioaccumulation in the liver. The combination of microplastics and mercury also caused greater oxidative stress and lipid damage than either contaminant alone, suggesting microplastics may amplify the toxicity of co-occurring pollutants.

2018 Scientific Reports 281 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined hepatotoxicity of imidacloprid and microplastics in adult zebrafish: Endpoints at gene transcription

Researchers investigated the combined liver toxicity of the pesticide imidacloprid and polystyrene microplastics in adult zebrafish over 21 days. The combination caused greater changes in gene expression related to fat and sugar metabolism and inflammatory responses than either contaminant alone. The study suggests that even low concentrations of microplastics and pesticides together may produce more severe hepatotoxic effects than individual exposures.

2021 Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part C Toxicology & Pharmacology 58 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecological risks of combination of multiple pollutants at environmentally relevant concentrations: Insights from the changes in life history traits, gut microbiota, and transcriptomic responses in Daphnia magna

Researchers exposed Daphnia magna to a combination of 11 pollutants including microplastics, antibiotics, and heavy metals at environmentally relevant ng/L–μg/L concentrations and found significant reductions in heart rate, reproduction, and lifespan, plus gut microbiota and transcriptomic changes — effects that single-pollutant studies would not predict.

2025 Resources Environment and Sustainability
Article Tier 2

The combined effects of polypropylene microplastics and sulfonamide antibiotics on the gut-liver axis of Gymnocypris przewalskii

A multi-omics study examined combined exposure of Gymnocypris przewalskii fish from Qinghai Lake to polypropylene microplastics and sulfonamide antibiotics, finding that co-exposure disrupted metabolic pathways and immune responses more severely than either contaminant alone.

2025 Aquatic Toxicology
Article Tier 2

Metabolomic responses in freshwater benthic invertebrate, Chironomus tepperi, exposed to polyethylene microplastics: A two-generational investigation

Researchers examined metabolomic changes in the freshwater midge Chironomus tepperi exposed to polyethylene microplastics across two generations, finding that environmentally relevant concentrations altered metabolite profiles and negatively affected survival and emergence.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluation of Microplastics and Microcystin-LR effect for Asian clams (Corbicula flumine) by a metabolomics approach

Using metabolomics, this study found that combined exposure to microplastics and the cyanotoxin microcystin-LR disrupted multiple metabolic pathways in Asian clams, with effects differing from either stressor alone. This matters because freshwater environments often contain both pollutants simultaneously, and the combined metabolic disruption could impair the health of shellfish consumed by humans.

2023 Research Square (Research Square) 2 citations
Article Tier 2

The impact of combined exposure to triphenyltin and microplastics on the oxidative stress, energy metabolism, and digestive function of common carp (Cyprinus carpio)

Exposing common carp to triphenyltin and microplastics individually and in combination found that combined exposure caused greater oxidative stress, disrupted energy metabolism more severely, and more strongly impaired digestive enzyme activity than either pollutant alone.

2025 Frontiers in Environmental Science
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics and phenanthrene on gut microbiome and metabolome alterations in the marine medaka Oryzias melastigma

Researchers exposed marine medaka fish to microplastics combined with phenanthrene, a common organic pollutant, and found that the combination disrupted gut bacteria and metabolism more than either substance alone. Specific gut bacterial communities shifted in response to the combined exposure, leading to changes in important metabolic processes. This study underscores that microplastics in the ocean don't act alone; they interact with other pollutants to amplify harm to aquatic organisms and potentially to the humans who consume seafood.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Beyond Single Stressors: Integrated Physiological and Transcriptomic Responses of Argopecten irradians Exposed to Polystyrene and Toxic Dinoflagellates

Researchers exposed bay scallops to polystyrene microplastics and toxic algae both individually and in combination, finding that while survival remained above 90%, the combined exposure triggered elevated oxidative stress markers and more complex physiological disruption. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that microplastics primarily interfered with endocrine function while the toxic algae affected immune pathways, and co-exposure produced synergistic effects on metabolism and developmental regulation.

2026 Oceans
Article Tier 2

Exploring the combined toxic effects of tri-n-butyl phosphate and polystyrene micro/nano-plastics on Daphnia magna under environmentally relevant concentrations

Researchers explored the combined toxic effects of the flame retardant tri-n-butyl phosphate and polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics on the water flea Daphnia magna at environmentally relevant concentrations. The study found that co-exposure to both pollutants altered gene expression related to stress responses, suggesting that the combined presence of these emerging contaminants may pose greater risks to aquatic organisms than either pollutant alone.

2025 Environmental Geochemistry and Health 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Exposure to metals premixed with microplastics increases toxicity through bioconcentration and impairs antioxidant defense and cholinergic response in a marine mysid

Researchers exposed the marine mysid Americamysis bahia to five metals alone and combined with microplastics premixed for varying durations, finding that premixing increased metal bioconcentration and impaired antioxidant defenses and cholinergic signaling more than either contaminant alone.

2021 Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part C Toxicology & Pharmacology 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Transcriptome sequencing and metabolite analysis reveal the single and combined effects of microplastics and di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate on Peneaus vannamei

Researchers used transcriptomics and metabolomics to study the individual and combined effects of microplastics and the plasticizer DEHP on shrimp. Both pollutants disrupted antioxidant defense systems and altered amino acid and lipid metabolism, leading to inflammatory responses. Interestingly, the presence of microplastics appeared to partially reduce the toxicity of DEHP, suggesting complex interactions between plastic particles and their chemical additives in marine organisms.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Changes in population fitness and gene co-expression networks reveal the boosted impact of toxic cyanobacteria on Daphnia magna through microplastic exposure

Researchers found that exposing the water flea Daphnia magna to both toxic cyanobacteria and microplastics together produced worse health effects than either stressor alone, reducing population fitness and altering gene expression patterns. The study suggests that as plastic pollution and harmful algal blooms increasingly overlap in lakes and rivers, aquatic organisms may face compounding threats that are greater than the sum of their parts.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 3 citations