Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Combined transcriptome and metabolite profiling analyses provide insights into the chronic toxicity of carbaryl and acetamiprid to Apis mellifera larvae

Researchers exposed honeybee larvae to low, non-lethal doses of two common insecticides — carbaryl and acetamiprid — and found distinct disruptions in gene activity and metabolism, including effects on antioxidant defenses and amino acid processing. These findings reveal that even "safe" pesticide levels can cause subtle but meaningful biological harm to developing bees, which are essential for pollinating crops.

2022 Scientific Reports 20 citations
Article Tier 2

How Environmental and Ecological Stressors Reprogram Honey Bee Chemistry Through the Microbiome–Metabolome Axis

Researchers reviewed how major environmental stressors — including pesticides, pathogens, nutritional imbalance, and contaminants — disrupt the honey bee gut microbiome-metabolome axis, finding recurring patterns of functional dysbiosis such as impaired energy metabolism and weakened immune regulation that can scale up to threaten colony resilience.

2026 Insects
Article Tier 2

Assessing the effects of a commercial fungicide and an herbicide, alone and in combination, on Apis mellifera: Insights from biomarkers and cognitive analysis

Researchers tested the combined effects of a commercial fungicide and herbicide on honey bees and found that the mixture was more harmful than either chemical alone. The pesticide combination impaired the bees' cognitive abilities, disrupted detoxification enzymes, and increased oxidative stress markers. The study suggests that current risk assessments, which typically evaluate pesticides individually, may underestimate the real-world dangers bees face from chemical mixtures.

2024 Chemosphere 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of chronic deltamethrin exposure on brain transcriptome and metabolome of juvenile crucian carp

Researchers examined the effects of chronic deltamethrin exposure on the brain chemistry and gene expression of juvenile crucian carp. The study found that this common pyrethroid insecticide disrupted brain metabolic pathways and altered gene transcription patterns, suggesting potential neurotoxic effects on freshwater fish from ongoing pesticide contamination.

2023 Environmental Toxicology 8 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

Single and Synergistic Effects of Microplastics and Difenoconazole on Oxidative Stress, Transcriptome, and Microbiome Traits in Honey Bees

Researchers exposed honey bees to microplastics and the fungicide difenoconazole, both alone and together, and found that the combination caused worse oxidative stress and gut microbiome disruption than either pollutant alone. This is concerning because bees encounter both pollutants in agricultural environments, and the combined exposure may weaken their health more than expected.

2025 Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 10 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 3

Binary combined toxicity of neonicotinoids and co-existing pollutants to non-target invertebrates: A meta-analysis

This global meta-analysis of 47 studies synthesized data on how co-exposure to neonicotinoid insecticides with other pollutants — including microplastics, heavy metals, and fungicides — affects non-target invertebrates, finding that co-contaminants generally amplify neonicotinoid toxicity especially for bees and aquatic invertebrates. The results highlight that real-world mixture exposures pose greater risks to invertebrate health than single-chemical laboratory studies suggest.

2025 Environmental Research 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Gut microbiota analysis of the western honeybee ( Apis mellifera L.) infested with the mite Varroa destructor reveals altered bacterial and archaeal community

Researchers used 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing to characterize bacterial and archaeal gut communities in adult honeybees (Apis mellifera) and larvae from Varroa destructor-infested hives, comparing healthy and mite-affected groups. They found Bombella dominated larval microbiota while Gillamella, Lactobacillaceae, and Snodgrassella dominated adults, though healthy and Varroa-affected adult groups did not differ statistically, and larvae showed enrichment of genes involved in cofactor and vitamin biosynthesis.

2022
Article Tier 2

Influence of nano-polystyrene on cyfluthrin toxicity in honeybee Apis cerana cerana Fabricius

Researchers found that nano-polystyrene plastics damaged the gut and gland development of Asian honeybees, while also changing how the bees process toxins at the genetic level. When combined with the pesticide cyfluthrin, the nanoplastics altered detoxification and immune gene activity in complex ways. Since honeybees are essential pollinators for food crops, the toxic effects of nanoplastics on bee health could have indirect consequences for human food security.

2025 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Deciphering Pesticide Stress Responses in Rice Through Integrated Multi-Omic Assessment

This review synthesizes research on how pesticide exposure affects rice plants at the molecular level, drawing on transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic studies. Researchers found that pesticides trigger detoxification enzymes, alter antioxidant defenses, and reprogram metabolic pathways in rice. The study highlights how integrating multiple omics approaches can provide a more complete picture of pesticide stress responses in crops.

2026 Toxics
Article Tier 2

Current Knowledge on Bee Innate Immunity Based on Genomics and Transcriptomics

This review synthesized genomic and transcriptomic studies on innate immunity in bees, covering defense mechanisms against pathogens including viruses, bacteria, and parasites. The authors identified key immune genes and signaling pathways across solitary and social bee species, with implications for understanding colony health and designing interventions against bee population decline.

2022 International Journal of Molecular Sciences 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecotoxicological effects of a glyphosate-based herbicide on Gryllus (Gryllus) assimilis (Orthoptera: Gryllidae) ontogeny: A study on antioxidant system, oxidative stress and cholinergic system

Researchers exposed crickets (Gryllus assimilis) to a glyphosate-based herbicide throughout their entire life cycle and measured changes in antioxidant enzymes, cholinergic enzymes, and lipid peroxidation across five developmental stages. This is an insect ecotoxicology study about pesticide exposure — it is not about microplastics and is a false positive for microplastic relevance.

2023
Article Tier 2

Buffered fitness components: Antagonism between malnutrition and an insecticide in bumble bees

Bumble bee colonies were exposed to malnutrition and a neonicotinoid insecticide in factorial experiments, with results showing that the stressors interacted antagonistically -- their combined effect on fitness components was less than expected from additive models. The findings highlight the complexity of multi-stressor effects on pollinator populations and caution against simple additive risk assessments.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of different microplastic types and co-exposure on the survival of Apis mellifera ligustica (Spinola, 1806) and its associated microbial communities

Researchers fed honey bees three types of microplastics (polystyrene, polyethylene, and polymethyl methacrylate) individually and in combination, and found that all treatments significantly reduced bee survival compared to controls. The combination of all three microplastic types had the strongest negative effect, and the gut microbial community showed time- and treatment-specific shifts that may represent an initial compensatory response to maintain functional stability.

2026 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Article Tier 2

Synergistic effects between microplastics and glyphosate on honey bee larvae

This study found that honey bee larvae exposed to microplastics combined with the herbicide glyphosate experienced worse developmental problems, higher oxidative stress, and stronger immune responses than those exposed to either pollutant alone. The combined exposure disrupted key detoxification and antioxidant genes in the developing bees. While focused on bees, this research highlights how microplastics can amplify the harm from other environmental chemicals, a pattern that likely applies to other organisms including humans.

2024 Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Single and combined effects of microplastics, pyrethroid and food resources on the life-history traits and microbiome of Chironomus riparius

Researchers exposed Chironomus riparius larvae to microplastics alone and combined with a pyrethroid pesticide under varying food conditions, finding that combined stress altered life-history traits and shifted the gut microbiome composition, with food availability modulating the severity of effects.

2021 Environmental Pollution 47 citations
Article Tier 2

Diesel exhaust particles alter gut microbiome and gene expression in the bumblebee Bombus terrestris

Researchers exposed bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) workers to sublethal doses of diesel exhaust particles and brake dust for seven days, finding that oral exposure to diesel exhaust particles significantly altered gut microbiome composition and gene expression while brake dust and airborne exposure produced no significant changes.

2022 1 citations
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

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

Metabolomics insights into the combined effects of boscalid and polystyrene microplastics on earthworms (Eisenia fetida): The critical role of pesticide dose and microplastics size

Researchers studied the combined effects of the pesticide boscalid and polystyrene microplastics on earthworms, finding that the interaction between the two contaminants significantly altered earthworm metabolic profiles. The severity of effects depended on both the pesticide dose and the size of the microplastic particles. The study highlights that microplastics in agricultural soils may interact with pesticides to create synergistic toxic effects on soil organisms.

2025 Environmental Pollution 1 citations