Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

The combined toxicity of polystyrene microplastic and arsenate: From the view of biochemical process in wheat seedlings (Triticum aestivum L.)

Researchers found that when wheat seedlings were exposed to both arsenic and polystyrene microplastics together, the microplastics reduced arsenic uptake in roots but dramatically increased arsenic transport to the above-ground parts of the plant — by up to 1,000%. This combined exposure caused more oxidative stress and damage to the plants' photosynthetic systems than arsenic alone. The findings suggest that microplastics in contaminated soil could increase how much toxic metal ends up in the edible parts of crops.

2024 Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene nanoplastics in soil impair drought priming-induced low temperature tolerance in wheat

Researchers investigated how polystyrene nanoplastics in soil affect the cold stress tolerance of drought-primed wheat plants. The study found that nanoplastic contamination impaired the beneficial effects of drought priming on photosynthesis and carbohydrate metabolism, ultimately reducing grain yield, suggesting that nanoplastic pollution may undermine crop resilience strategies.

2024 Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxic effects of polystyrene nanoplastics and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (chrysene and fluoranthene) on the growth and physiological characteristics of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Researchers tested how polystyrene nanoplastics combined with two common pollutants (chrysene and fluoranthene, found in vehicle exhaust and industrial emissions) affect green algae. The combination reduced algae growth, damaged cell membranes, and triggered oxidative stress more severely than either pollutant alone. Since algae are the foundation of aquatic food chains, this combined toxicity from nanoplastics and common environmental pollutants could have cascading effects on water ecosystems and the organisms that depend on them.

2024 Aquatic Toxicology 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics and cadmium on the soil-wheat system as single and combined contaminants

Researchers found that polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics combined with cadmium reduced wheat chlorophyll concentrations and affected soil-plant systems differently depending on pollution levels, revealing complex interaction effects between co-contaminants.

2023 Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 37 citations
Article Tier 2

Temperature fluctuation in soil alters the nanoplastic sensitivity in wheat

Researchers simulated +4°C soil warming combined with polystyrene nanoplastic exposure in wheat seedlings and found the combination induced greater oxidative stress and reduced plant height, fresh weight, and net photosynthesis compared to either stressor alone, highlighting compounding risks from simultaneous nanoplastic pollution and climate warming on crop production.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 3 citations
Article Tier 2

The joint toxicity of polyethylene microplastic and phenanthrene to wheat seedlings

Researchers studied the individual and combined effects of polyethylene microplastics and the pollutant phenanthrene on wheat seedlings grown in soil. They found that microplastics alone caused dose-dependent reductions in plant growth and damaged the photosynthetic system, while the combination with phenanthrene worsened the damage. The study suggests that the co-occurrence of microplastics and organic pollutants in agricultural soils may create compounding negative effects on crop growth.

2021 Chemosphere 161 citations
Article Tier 2

Do polystyrene nanoplastics affect the toxicity of cadmium to wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)?

Researchers investigated whether polystyrene nanoplastics affect the toxicity of cadmium to wheat plants. The study found that nanoplastics could alter how cadmium interacts with wheat, potentially modifying the uptake and toxic effects of the heavy metal, suggesting that the co-occurrence of nanoplastics and heavy metals in agricultural soils may create complex interactions affecting crop health.

2020 Environmental Pollution 266 citations
Article Tier 2

Response of wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv.) to the coexistence of micro-/nanoplastics and phthalate esters alters its growth environment

Researchers studied how wheat responds to co-existing stressors of microplastics and another soil contaminant, finding that combined exposure altered plant growth, physiological parameters, and grain quality compared to single-stressor exposures. The results highlight the importance of testing contaminant mixtures in agricultural soils.

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

Interacting Effects of Heat and Nanoplastics Affect Wheat (Triticum turgidum L.) Seedling Growth and Physiology

Researchers exposed wheat seedlings to polystyrene nanoplastics under both normal (25°C) and elevated (35°C) temperature conditions to test whether heat stress and nanoplastic exposure interact to worsen plant health. They found that the combination of heat and nanoplastics caused greater oxidative stress and growth impairment than either stressor alone, suggesting that climate change could amplify the agricultural damage caused by nanoplastic pollution. This matters because global warming and plastic pollution are both worsening simultaneously, and crops are caught in the crossfire.

2025 Plants 1 citations
Article Tier 2

[Effects of Microplastics on the Growth, Physiology, and Biochemical Characteristics of Wheat (Triticum aestivum)].

Wheat seedlings were grown in soils spiked with 100 nm and 5 μm polystyrene microplastics, with high concentrations (200 mg/L) significantly inhibiting root and stem elongation, reducing chlorophyll, and altering antioxidant enzyme activity, with smaller nanoplastics showing greater toxicity. The findings demonstrate that microplastic size influences phytotoxicity in a major agricultural crop.

2019 PubMed 75 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of soil microplastic contamination and cadmium toxicity on the growth, physiology, and root growth traits of Triticum aestivum L.

Researchers grew wheat plants in soil contaminated with polyethylene microplastics, the toxic heavy metal cadmium, or both, finding that combined exposure caused the worst damage — shrinking root area, reducing gas exchange in leaves, and lowering key growth indicators. These findings raise concerns about crop yields in farmland where plastic pollution and heavy metal contamination overlap, which is increasingly common.

2023 South African Journal of Botany 65 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of individual and combined polystyrene nanoplastics and phenanthrene on the enzymology, physiology, and transcriptome parameters of rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Researchers conducted a hydroponic experiment to evaluate how polystyrene nanoplastics and phenanthrene, individually and in combination, affect rice plants. The study examined effects on enzyme activity, plant physiology, and gene expression over seven days. Evidence indicates that the combination of nanoplastics with organic pollutants can produce different impacts on crop growth compared to either contaminant alone.

2022 Chemosphere 49 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro/nanoplastics: Critical review of their impacts on plants, interactions with other contaminants (antibiotics, heavy metals, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), and management strategies

This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics harm plants, both alone and in combination with other pollutants like antibiotics, heavy metals, and hydrocarbons. The combined exposure often worsens the damage, including inhibited growth, reduced seed germination, and genetic toxicity. The review also explores strategies to reduce this plant damage, which matters for food safety since contaminated crops are a route for microplastics to reach humans.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 83 citations
Article Tier 2

Single and combined toxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics and PCB-52 to the aquatic duckweed Spirodela polyrhiza

Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics and PCB-52 act synergistically to impair the aquatic plant Spirodela polyrhiza, with combined exposure amplifying oxidative stress, chlorophyll loss, and osmotic imbalance in roots beyond what either pollutant caused alone — while low nanoplastic doses alone mildly stimulated growth.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Interactive impacts of heat stress and microplastics contamination on the growth and biochemical response of wheat (Triticum aestivum) and maize (Zea mays) plants

Researchers investigated how heat stress combined with polyethylene microplastic contamination in soil affects wheat and maize growth. They found that the combination significantly reduced plant height, root length, leaf area, and chlorophyll content more than either stressor alone. The findings highlight that microplastic pollution in agricultural soils could worsen the damage already caused by rising temperatures to food crops.

2025 Ecotoxicology 2 citations
Article Tier 2

How polystyrene nanoparticles and cadmium affect the growth, physiology, metabolic and ionomic profile of early-stage wheat seedlings individually and in combination

Researchers exposed two wheat cultivars to polystyrene nanoplastics and cadmium individually and in combination, finding the combined exposure caused the greatest oxidative stress, metabolic disruption, and ionomic imbalance, while one cultivar (HS-490) showed consistently better tolerance across all stress conditions.

2025 Journal of Environmental Management
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene nanoplastics distinctly impact cadmium uptake and toxicity in Arabidopsis thaliana

In a study using the model plant Arabidopsis, polystyrene nanoplastics increased the uptake and accumulation of the toxic heavy metal cadmium in plant roots. The combined stress of nanoplastics and cadmium caused worse oxidative damage and growth problems than either pollutant alone. This is concerning because it means microplastics in agricultural soil could help toxic metals get into crops more easily, potentially increasing human exposure through food.

2024 Environmental Pollution 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Mechanistic Insights into the Effects of Aged Polystyrene Nanoplastics on the Toxicity of Cadmium to Triticum Aestivum

This study examined how aged polystyrene nanoplastics interact with the heavy metal cadmium to affect wheat plants. Researchers found that the aging process increases the nanoplastics' ability to absorb cadmium, which can alter how the metal is taken up by crops, raising questions about combined contaminant exposure through the food supply.

2025 Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Foliar implications of polystyrene nanoplastics on leafy vegetables and its ecological consequences

Scientists applied polystyrene nanoplastics to four common leafy vegetables and found that the tiny particles accumulated on leaf surfaces, particularly around the pores plants use to breathe. This accumulation reduced the plants' chlorophyll content and ability to photosynthesize, affecting their growth and nutritional quality. The findings raise concerns that airborne nanoplastic pollution could compromise the safety and nutritional value of the vegetables people eat.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Co-exposure effects of polystyrene nanoplastics and silver nanoparticles in constructed wetlands: Microbial and macrophyte responses

Researchers co-exposed constructed wetlands to polystyrene nanoplastics and silver nanoparticles and found synergistic disruption of the electron transport chain, impaired ATP production, and altered nitrogen transformation, with combined exposure more toxic than either contaminant alone.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Article Tier 2

Interactions between phenanthrene and polystyrene micro/nano plastics: Implications for rice (Oryza sativa L.) toxicity.

Researchers investigated how polystyrene micro/nano plastics of different particle sizes and surface charges interact with phenanthrene and affect toxicity in rice (Oryza sativa L.), finding that these interactions significantly alter the biological effects and potential health risks of combined contaminant exposure.

2023 Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987)
Article Tier 2

Nanotoxicological effects and transcriptome mechanisms of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under stress of polystyrene nanoplastics

Researchers studied how polystyrene nanoplastics affect wheat plants at the molecular level using gene expression analysis. They found that nanoplastic exposure disrupted genes involved in photosynthesis, hormone signaling, and stress responses, ultimately reducing plant growth. The study provides new insights into how nanoplastic contamination in agricultural soils could harm crop development at a fundamental biological level.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 148 citations
Article Tier 2

Antagonistic effect of polystyrene nanoplastics on cadmium toxicity to maize (Zea mays L.)

Researchers studied the combined effects of polystyrene nanoplastics and cadmium on maize plants and found that nanoplastics actually reduced cadmium toxicity. The study suggests that nanoplastics can adsorb cadmium and limit its uptake by plant roots, though both contaminants individually reduced plant growth and triggered oxidative stress responses.

2022 Chemosphere 48 citations
Article Tier 2

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles enhance the detrimental effect of polystyrene nanoplastics on cell and plant physiology of Vicia lens (L.) Coss. & Germ. seedlings

Combined exposure of Vicia lens seedlings to polystyrene nanoplastics and titanium dioxide nanoparticles caused greater physiological and cellular damage than either contaminant alone, suggesting synergistic toxicity at the plant level.

2024 Frontiers in Plant Science 5 citations