Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Co-exposure to polystyrene microplastics and perfluorooctanoic acid can exacerbate lipid metabolism disorders and liver damage in adult zebrafish

Researchers exposed zebrafish to polystyrene microplastics and the persistent pollutant PFOA separately and together for 28 days, finding that combined exposure caused greater intestinal barrier breakdown, liver damage, lipid metabolism disruption, and gut microbiome dysbiosis than either contaminant alone — raising concerns about nonalcoholic fatty liver disease risk from co-occurring plastic and chemical pollution.

2025 Journal of Environmental Sciences 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene modulation of perfluorooctanoic acid toxicity in zebrafish: Transcriptomic and toxicological insights

Researchers exposed zebrafish to the industrial chemical PFOA both alone and in combination with polystyrene microplastics of different sizes to understand how the particles influence chemical toxicity. They found that PFOA disrupted neurotransmitter pathways, and the addition of microplastics modified this toxicity in a size-dependent manner, with smaller particles generally increasing harmful effects. The study provides evidence that microplastics can alter how other environmental pollutants affect living organisms.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 3 citations
Article Tier 2

An effect assessment of microplastics and nanoplastics interacting with androstenedione on mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis)

Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics (80 nm) and microplastics (8 micrometers) interact differently with the endocrine disruptor androstenedione in mosquitofish, with particle size influencing the combined toxicity on reproductive and physiological parameters.

2023 Marine Environmental Research 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Interactive effects of polystyrene nanoplastics and 6:2 chlorinated polyfluorinated ether sulfonates on the histomorphology, oxidative stress and gut microbiota in Hainan Medaka (Oryzias curvinotus)

Researchers exposed a freshwater fish species to nanoplastics and a fluorinated chemical pollutant, both alone and in combination, and found that the mixture caused more severe tissue damage than either substance alone. The combined exposure harmed gills, liver, and intestines while disrupting antioxidant systems and gut bacteria. The study suggests nanoplastics can worsen the effects of industrial chemicals on aquatic life.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Reduced disparity in the physiological effects between perfluorooctanoic acid and its alternative GenX on freshwater microalgae during co-exposure with nanoplastics

Researchers compared how polystyrene nanoplastics alter the toxicity of legacy PFOA and its newer alternative GenX in freshwater microalgae, finding that nanoplastics transport both chemicals into cells and amplify their photosynthesis-disrupting effects, ultimately reducing the toxicity difference between the two compounds and highlighting nanoplastics as important vectors for fluorinated pollutants.

2026 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Article Tier 2

Adverse effects of polystyrene nanoplastic and its binary mixtures with nonylphenol on zebrafish nervous system: From oxidative stress to impaired neurotransmitter system

Researchers investigated the individual and combined effects of polystyrene nanoplastics and the industrial chemical nonylphenol on the zebrafish nervous system over 45 days. Both substances induced oxidative stress and disrupted neurotransmitter systems, with combined exposure generally producing more severe effects on glutamate metabolism and brain tissue damage. The study suggests that the interaction between nanoplastics and co-occurring environmental pollutants can amplify neurotoxic effects in fish.

2022 Environmental Pollution 52 citations
Article Tier 2

Enhanced uptake of perfluorooctanoic acid by polystyrene nanoparticles in Pacific oyster (Magallana gigas)

Researchers found that polystyrene nanoparticles significantly enhanced the uptake of the toxic chemical PFOA in Pacific oysters. The presence of 20 nm nanoparticles increased PFOA absorption by up to 3.2-fold and amplified PFOA-induced oxidative stress by 3-fold, suggesting that nanoplastics can act as carriers that worsen the effects of other environmental contaminants in marine organisms.

2024 Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part C Toxicology & Pharmacology 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined toxicity of polystyrene microplastics and ammonium perfluorooctanoate to Daphnia magna: Mediation of intestinal blockage

Researchers evaluated the combined toxicity of polystyrene microplastics and a perfluorinated compound (ammonium perfluorooctanoate) to Daphnia magna using multiple toxicity assessment methods. They found that the interaction between microplastics and the fluorinated chemical produced antagonistic effects at some concentrations and synergistic effects at others, mediated partly by intestinal blockage from the plastic particles. The study reveals that microplastics can alter the bioavailability and toxicity of co-occurring fluorinated contaminants through physical mechanisms in the gut.

2022 Water Research 67 citations
Article Tier 2

Individual and Combined Toxic Effects of Nano-ZnO and Polyethylene Microplastics on Mosquito Fish (Gambusia holbrooki)

Researchers studied the individual and combined effects of polyethylene microplastics and zinc oxide nanoparticles on mosquito fish. The combination caused greater damage to liver tissue, blood parameters, and antioxidant systems than either pollutant alone. The findings suggest that microplastics interacting with other environmental contaminants can amplify toxic effects in aquatic organisms.

2023 Water 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics magnify inhibitive effects of perfluorooctanoic acid on the marine microbial loop

Researchers studied how microplastics interact with a common industrial chemical called PFOA in ocean ecosystems. They found that polystyrene microplastics significantly amplified the harmful effects of PFOA on tiny marine organisms essential to carbon cycling, including bacteria and plankton. The study suggests that when these two pollutants co-exist in seawater, the ecological risks are considerably worse than from either pollutant alone.

2025 Environmental Research 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene nanoplastics enhance the toxicological effects of DDE in zebrafish (Danio rerio) larvae

Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics enhanced the toxicity of the pesticide metabolite DDE in zebrafish larvae, with co-exposure causing greater developmental abnormalities and oxidative stress than either pollutant alone.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 38 citations
Article Tier 2

The exploration of chronic combined toxic mechanisms of environmental PFOA and polyethylene micro/nanoplastics on adult zebrafish (Danio rerio), using aquatic microcosm systems

Researchers studied the combined toxic effects of polyethylene micro/nanoplastics and the chemical pollutant PFOA on zebrafish in conditions mimicking real aquaculture systems. They found that the combination produced time-dependent toxicity patterns, with effects on the liver, gut, and reproductive systems that were sometimes more severe than either pollutant alone. The study highlights that microplastics and industrial chemicals can interact in ways that amplify their individual harms to aquatic life.

2025 Aquatic Toxicology 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Interfacial effects of perfluorooctanoic acid and its alternative hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid with polystyrene nanoplastics on oxidative stress, histopathology and gut microbiota in Crassostrea hongkongensis oysters

Researchers exposed oysters to polystyrene nanoplastics combined with PFAS chemicals (including the GenX replacement for PFOA) and found that the combination caused worse oxidative stress, tissue damage, and gut bacteria disruption than any single pollutant. The newer GenX chemical was not safer than the older PFOA it was designed to replace when combined with nanoplastics. Since oysters are eaten raw by humans, these findings raise concerns about the combined effects of multiple pollutants accumulating in shellfish.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxic impacts of polystyrene nanoplastics and PCB77 in blunt snout bream: Evidence from tissue morphology, oxidative stress and intestinal microbiome

Researchers studied the combined toxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics and a persistent organic pollutant (PCB77) in freshwater fish. They found that co-exposure caused worse tissue damage, higher oxidative stress, and greater disruption to gut bacteria than either contaminant alone. The study highlights that microplastics can worsen the harmful effects of other environmental pollutants when organisms are exposed to both simultaneously.

2025 Geoscience Frontiers 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Detrimental effects of individual versus combined exposure to tetrabromobisphenol A and polystyrene nanoplastics in fish cell lines

Researchers tested how combined exposure to the flame retardant tetrabromobisphenol A and polystyrene nanoparticles affects freshwater fish cells. They found that co-exposure to even low concentrations of both pollutants caused subtle changes in cell viability and generated oxidative DNA damage. The study suggests that the interaction between nanoplastics and chemical pollutants in aquatic environments may pose compounding risks to fish health.

2023 Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology 19 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

Effects of nanoplastic on toxicity of azole fungicides (ketoconazole and fluconazole) in zebrafish embryos

Researchers investigated how polystyrene nanoplastics interact with azole fungicides ketoconazole and fluconazole in zebrafish embryos. Co-exposure to nanoplastics and azoles reduced hatching and survival rates while increasing malformations and oxidative stress markers compared to individual exposures. The study suggests that nanoplastics can enhance the toxicity of common antifungal compounds in aquatic organisms through synergistic effects.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 71 citations
Article Tier 2

Impacts of Polystyrene Nanoplastics on Fisheries Biology and Prospective Remediation Approaches in Aquatic Ecosystems

This review examines how polystyrene nanoplastics affect fish biology, including physiology, behavior, and reproductive health. The study highlights that nanoplastics cause oxidative stress, inflammation, endocrine disruption, and bioaccumulation in fish species, and that these effects can be amplified when nanoplastics interact with other environmental stressors such as pesticides and heavy metals.

2025 Indus journal of bioscience research. 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro/nanoplastics enhance multigenerational reproductive toxicity of legacy and alternative per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in the marine rotifer Brachionus plicatilis

Researchers assessed the combined toxicity of micro- and nanoplastics with legacy and alternative per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) on the marine rotifer Brachionus plicatilis across multiple generations. They found that the presence of nanoplastics enhanced the lethal and reproductive toxicity of both PFOA and its replacement chemical GenX. The study suggests that co-exposure to microplastics and PFAS may pose greater risks to marine organisms than either contaminant alone.

2026 Environmental Pollution
Article Tier 2

Combined toxicity of polyethylene micro/nanoplastics and PFOA in zebrafish (Danio rerio): Impacts on antioxidant, neurotransmission, and gut microbiota

Researchers exposed zebrafish to polyethylene micro/nanoplastics and the industrial pollutant PFOA individually and in combination, assessing antioxidant capacity, neurotransmission, and gut microbiome composition. Combined exposure caused greater oxidative stress, more severe neurotransmitter disruption, and larger gut microbiome shifts than either contaminant alone, highlighting synergistic risks of co-occurring plastic and PFAS pollution.

2025 Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology
Article Tier 2

Interaction and combined toxicity of microplastics and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in aquatic environment

This review examines how microplastics interact with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in aquatic environments and the combined toxic effects on organisms. Researchers found that microplastics can adsorb PFAS chemicals and transport them through water systems, potentially increasing exposure for aquatic life. The study highlights that the combination of these two widespread pollutant types may pose greater ecological risks than either one alone.

2022 Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering 83 citations
Article Tier 2

Quantification of the combined toxic effect of polychlorinated biphenyls and nano-sized polystyrene on Daphnia magna

Researchers investigated how nano-sized polystyrene particles modify the acute toxicity of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) to Daphnia magna, finding that low concentrations of nanoplastics reduced PCB toxicity by binding and sequestering the chemicals, while high nanoplastic concentrations became directly lethal, reversing the protective effect.

2018 Journal of Hazardous Materials 112 citations
Article Tier 2

Single and combined effects of amino polystyrene and perfluorooctane sulfonate on hydrogen-producing thermophilic bacteria and the interaction mechanisms.

This study examined how amino polystyrene nanoplastics and the industrial chemical PFOS interact with hydrogen-producing bacteria used in bioenergy production, finding that nanoplastics disrupted bacterial metabolism and their combined toxicity with PFOS was greater than either alone. The results raise concerns about the impact of nanoplastic contamination on anaerobic bioprocesses used for renewable energy.

2020 The Science of the total environment
Article Tier 2

Trophic transfer and interfacial impacts of micro(nano)plastics and per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances in the environment.

This review examined the co-occurrence, trophic transfer, and interactions of micro(nano)plastics and PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in the environment, highlighting how their combined persistence and toxicity create compounding risks for ecosystems and human health.

2024 Journal of hazardous materials