Papers

20 results
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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

Chronic dietary exposure to polystyrene microplastics in maturing Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes)

Japanese medaka fish were fed diets containing polystyrene microplastics for 10 weeks during maturation, finding no tissue translocation or behavioral changes but a dose-dependent decrease in egg production in mature females. The results suggest chronic dietary MP exposure may impair reproduction even without systemic distribution.

2019 Aquatic Toxicology 132 citations
Article Tier 2

Synthetic microfiber exposure negatively affects reproductive parameters in male medaka (Oryzias latipes)

Researchers exposed male medaka fish to fiber-type microplastics and found disruptions to the hormonal pathway that regulates reproduction. The microfibers triggered abnormal expression of reproductive hormones and induced vitellogenesis, a process normally occurring only in females, indicating endocrine disruption. The study suggests that microfiber ingestion may impair reproductive capacity in fish by interfering with hormonal signaling.

2023 General and Comparative Endocrinology 23 citations
Article Tier 2

A Holistic Assessment of Polyethylene Fiber Ingestion in Larval and Juvenile Japanese Medaka Fish

Japanese medaka larvae and juveniles exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations of polyethylene fibers showed intestinal histological changes, altered gut microbiota composition, and disrupted lipid metabolism, with effects dependent on both exposure concentration and the developmental stage at which exposure occurred.

2021 Frontiers in Physiology 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Chronic feeding exposure to virgin and spiked microplastics disrupts essential biological functions in teleost fish

Researchers fed zebrafish and marine medaka environmentally relevant concentrations of virgin and chemically spiked polyethylene and PVC microplastics over four months. While classical biomarkers showed no changes, significant decreases in growth and disruptions to reproduction, gut integrity, and liver function were observed. The findings suggest that chronic dietary exposure to microplastics can disrupt essential biological functions in fish even without triggering traditional toxicity markers.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 90 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of laundry-derived microplastic fibers on larval Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes)

Researchers exposed Japanese medaka fish larvae to laundry-derived microplastic fibers for 21 days and observed the fluorescent fibers accumulating primarily in the mouth, gut, and feces. While no mortality occurred, the higher concentration treatment reduced body length and weight and altered metabolic and gut bacterial profiles. Most fibers were expelled during a depuration period, though longer fibers tended to remain trapped in the gastrointestinal tract.

2025 The Science of The Total Environment 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Some Behavioural and Physiological Effects of Plastics (Polyethylene) on Fish

Researchers examined behavioral and physiological effects of polyethylene microplastics on fish, finding that plastic exposure disrupted endocrine function, altered behavior, and impaired normal development and reproduction.

2023 Tropical Aquatic and Soil Pollution 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Intestinal Accumulation of Polyester Microfibers Modulates HPG Axis Regulation and Oocyte Maturation in Zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Scientists found that tiny plastic fibers from clothing (called microfibers) can build up in fish intestines and disrupt their hormone systems, affecting how their eggs develop. While this study was done in zebrafish, it's concerning because humans also consume these plastic fibers through seafood and drinking water. This research suggests that microplastic pollution may be interfering with reproductive health in ways we're just beginning to understand.

2026 Fishes
Article Tier 2

Subtle reproductive toxicity of microplastics in Pelteobagrus fulvidraco: Evidence from chronic exposure during gonadal development

Researchers chronically exposed yellow catfish from hatching through gonadal development to PE and PP microplastics and found marked histopathological damage to testicular tissue — especially from PE — without significant effects on survival or sex ratio, suggesting subtle reproductive toxicity that standard acute tests would miss.

2025 Environmental Pollution
Article Tier 2

Environmentally relevant concentrations of microplastics modulated the immune response and swimming activity, and impaired the development of marine medaka Oryzias melastigma larvae

Researchers found that environmentally relevant concentrations of microplastics impaired immune responses, swimming behavior, and larval development in marine medaka fish, demonstrating that even low-level exposure poses ecological risks.

2022 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastic exposure on the gonadal structure and reproductive success of Danio rerio (Teleostei: Cypriniformes)

This Brazilian study exposed zebrafish to two concentrations of microplastics for 30 days and assessed effects on gonadal structure and reproductive success using histology and hormone assays. Microplastic exposure disrupted reproductive biology in both males and females, raising concerns about how environmental microplastic contamination affects fish reproduction.

2021 LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas)
Article Tier 2

Organic contaminants sorbed to microplastics affect marine medaka fish early life stages development

Researchers investigated how polyethylene microplastics carrying adsorbed environmental contaminants affect the early life stages of marine medaka fish. The study found that while virgin microplastics alone showed no significant effects, microplastics spiked with benzo(a)pyrene, PFOS, or benzophenone-3 caused developmental impacts in embryos and larvae, demonstrating that microplastics can act as carriers that deliver toxic chemicals to developing fish.

2020 Marine Pollution Bulletin 128 citations
Article Tier 2

Environmental microplastics accumulate in gonads in a sex-dependent manner and alter reproductive success in zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Zebrafish exposed to environmentally sourced microplastics accumulated particles preferentially in the testes rather than ovaries, and males showed the highest gonadal microplastic loads along with PCB co-contaminant effects including inhibited apoptosis and hepatotoxicity.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances
Article Tier 2

Exposure to microplastic fibers does not change fish early life stage development of three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus)

Exposure of three-spined stickleback eggs and larvae to microplastic fibers at environmentally relevant concentrations had no significant effect on fertilization success, hatching rates, embryonic survival, or early larval development, suggesting that microplastic fibers alone may not impair early life stages of this species under realistic conditions.

2021 Microplastics and Nanoplastics 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microfiber exposure on medaka (Oryzias latipes): Oxidative stress, cell damage, and mortality

Japanese medaka fish exposed to polyester microfibers showed elevated oxidative stress, cell membrane damage, and increased mortality compared to controls. The study identifies microfibers, which are discharged from laundry via wastewater treatment plants, as a biologically active marine contaminant capable of causing measurable harm to fish.

2022 Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part C Toxicology & Pharmacology 15 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

Adaptation of life-history traits and trade-offs in marine medaka (Oryzias melastigma) after whole life-cycle exposure to polystyrene microplastics

Researchers conducted a whole-life-cycle exposure of marine medaka to polystyrene microplastics and observed effects on hatching, growth, and reproduction across generations. Microplastics accumulated on eggshells, reduced hatching rates and larval body length, and altered reproductive investment strategies. The study suggests that chronic microplastic exposure can trigger life-history trade-offs in fish, potentially affecting population dynamics over multiple generations.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 93 citations
Article Tier 2

Early warning signs of endocrine disruption in adult fish from the ingestion of polyethylene with and without sorbed chemical pollutants from the marine environment

Researchers fed Japanese medaka fish environmentally sourced marine plastic pellets for two months and observed significant downregulation of key estrogen-related genes — including vitellogenin and estrogen receptor — in both sexes, providing early evidence that plastic debris ingestion at realistic concentrations can disrupt endocrine function in adult fish.

2014 The Science of The Total Environment 745 citations
Article Tier 2

Bioaccumulation and reproductive effects of fluorescent microplastics in medaka fish

This study exposed both freshwater and marine medaka fish to fluorescent polystyrene microplastics for three weeks, finding bioaccumulation in multiple tissues and reduced reproductive output in freshwater medaka, with bioaccumulation factors differing between the two species.

2020 Marine Pollution Bulletin 107 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of life cycle exposure to polystyrene microplastics on medaka fish (Oryzias latipes)

Researchers exposed medaka fish to irregularly shaped polystyrene microplastics for 150 days across their life cycle and found that while growth and reproduction were largely unaffected, the study highlights the importance of using environmentally realistic particle shapes and sizes in long-term exposure studies.

2022 Environmental Pollution 22 citations