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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Microplastics and Their Impact on Reproduction—Can we Learn From the C. elegans Model?
ClearA review of the reproductive toxicity of environmental contaminants in Caenorhabditis elegans
Researchers review how a tiny roundworm called Caenorhabditis elegans is used to study the reproductive harm caused by environmental pollutants — including microplastics, heavy metals, and nanomaterials. Because this worm shares many genes with humans and reproduces quickly, it is a valuable early-warning system for identifying contaminants that could threaten fertility across species.
C. elegans as a powerful model for neurotoxicity assessment
This review highlights the roundworm C. elegans as a valuable model organism for studying how toxic substances, including microplastics and nanoplastics, affect the nervous system. The worm's simple but well-mapped nervous system allows researchers to observe neurological damage at the cellular and molecular level. The study notes that C. elegans research has been instrumental in identifying how environmental pollutants can impair nerve function, memory, and behavior.
Different Toxic Effects of Polystyrene Microplastics and Nanoplastics on Caenorhabditis elegans
Researchers compared the toxicity of 2-μm polystyrene microplastics and 0.1-μm nanoplastics in C. elegans, finding both impaired growth, locomotion, reproduction, and lifespan at 1 mg/L and above, with microplastics causing greater locomotion and reproductive toxicity and nanoplastics inducing stronger oxidative stress.
The toxic differentiation of micro- and nanoplastics verified by gene-edited fluorescent Caenorhabditis elegans
Researchers used gene-edited fluorescent C. elegans to demonstrate that nanoplastic toxicity is size- and charge-dependent, with 100 nm positively charged polystyrene particles causing the greatest harm through intestinal accumulation and oxidative stress.
Comparison of primary microplastics from Cartagena Bay and their toxicological evaluation using "Caenorhabditis elegans" as a biological model
Microplastics sampled from Cartagena Bay in Colombia were characterized and tested for toxicity using the roundworm C. elegans as a model organism. The particles caused oxidative stress and reproductive harm, raising concerns about how marine microplastics could affect organisms—including humans—that consume contaminated seafood.
Polyethylene nanoplastics cause reproductive toxicity associated with activation of both estrogenic hormone receptor NHR-14 and DNA damage checkpoints in C. elegans
Researchers found that polyethylene nanoplastics caused reproductive damage in the roundworm C. elegans by activating a hormone receptor and DNA damage pathways, leading to fewer offspring and increased cell death in reproductive tissues. Importantly, the damage was caused by the plastic particles themselves, not by chemicals leaching from them. Since polyethylene is the most common plastic in everyday products, these findings raise concerns about how nanoplastic exposure could affect reproductive health.
Biochemical and physiological effects of multigenerational exposure to spheric polystyrene microplastics in Caenorhabditis elegans
Researchers found that multigenerational exposure of C. elegans to polystyrene microplastics at low concentrations triggered oxidative stress, increased detoxification enzyme activity, and caused accumulating physiological effects across five consecutive generations.
Microplastics Effects on Reproduction and Body Length of the Soil-Dwelling Nematode Caenorhabditis elegans
Researchers compared the effects of conventional low-density polyethylene microplastics and biodegradable polymer microplastics on reproduction and body length in the soil nematode C. elegans. The study found that microplastic exposure affected these organisms, highlighting that even biodegradable plastics may pose risks to soil-dwelling invertebrates and that terrestrial microplastic toxicity deserves greater research attention.
Effects of micro(nano)plastics on the reproductive system: A review
This review summarizes research on how micro and nanoplastics affect the reproductive system in both animal studies and cell experiments. Evidence indicates these particles can cross biological barriers, accumulate in reproductive organs, and disrupt hormones, egg development, and sperm quality. While human studies are still limited, the animal data suggests microplastic exposure may be a meaningful concern for reproductive health.
Polylactic acid microparticles in the range of μg/L reduce reproductive capacity by affecting the gonad development and the germline apoptosis in Caenorhabditis elegans
Researchers exposed C. elegans nematodes to polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics — a supposedly biodegradable plastic — at microgram-per-liter concentrations and found significant reductions in reproductive capacity driven by impaired gonad development and increased programmed cell death (apoptosis) in the germline.
Microplastics released from disposable medical devices and their toxic responses in Caenorhabditis elegans.
Researchers investigated microplastic release from eight types of disposable medical devices during high-temperature steam disinfection and evaluated their toxicity using the model organism C. elegans. The study found that polypropylene devices released the most microplastic particles and that these medical-device-derived microplastics caused measurable toxic responses, including effects on locomotion, reproduction, and oxidative stress in the test organisms.
Nanoplastic exposure in soil compromises the energy budget of the soil nematode C. elegans and decreases reproductive fitness
Researchers found that soil exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics significantly reduced reproductive fitness in the nematode C. elegans by compromising energy budgets, decreasing ATP levels, and disrupting mitochondrial function in a concentration-dependent manner.
Nanoplastics and Microplastics and Their Impact on Male Reproduction—Uncovering the Hidden Hazards Using the Drosophila Model
Using Drosophila as a model organism, researchers investigated the impact of micro- and nanoplastics on male reproductive health, finding that exposure impaired reproductive output and sperm quality. The study validates Drosophila as an ethical, cost-effective model for assessing reproductive toxicity of microplastics.
Neuronal damage induced by nanopolystyrene particles in nematodeCaenorhabditis elegans
C. elegans nematodes were chronically exposed to nanopolystyrene particles and found to develop neuronal damage affecting both development and function of the nervous system after long-term exposure at environmentally relevant concentrations. The study provides early evidence that nanoplastics can cause neurological harm in an animal model, raising questions about potential neurotoxicity in other species.
Caenorhabditis elegans as a Prediction Platform for Nanotechnology-Based Strategies: Insights on Analytical Challenges
This review examines the use of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism for evaluating the safety and toxicity of nanotechnology-based materials, including nanoplastics. Researchers highlight the advantages of C. elegans for toxicological screening, including its transparency, genetic tractability, and fast response to environmental contaminants. The study suggests that C. elegans is a valuable platform for assessing the impacts of emerging pollutants like nanoplastics and nanopesticides from a holistic health perspective.
Exposome, Molecular Pathways and One Health: The Invertebrate Caenorhabditis elegans
This review positioned the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as a One Health model organism for studying how environmental pollutants including nanomaterials and microplastics affect molecular pathways relevant to human disease. The authors described C. elegans as particularly valuable for characterizing long-term low-dose effects given its short lifespan and well-annotated genome.
Threats of nano/microplastics to reproduction and offspring: Potential mechanisms and perspectives
This review summarized the evidence on how nano- and microplastics threaten reproduction and offspring health across multiple species, including fish, invertebrates, and mammals. The authors outlined potential mechanisms by which these plastic particles disrupt endocrine function, gonadal development, and embryonic development.
Polystyrene (nano)microplastics cause size-dependent neurotoxicity, oxidative damage and other adverse effects inCaenorhabditis elegans
Researchers found that polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics cause neurotoxicity and oxidative damage in the model organism C. elegans, with effects varying by particle size. Smaller nanoscale particles tended to cause more severe toxic responses than larger microplastic particles. The study highlights that the size of plastic particles is an important factor in determining how harmful they are to living organisms.
Neurotoxicity induced by aged microplastics from plastic bowls: Abnormal neurotransmission in Caenorhabditis elegans
Researchers found that microplastics released from aged plastic bowls caused nerve damage in the roundworm C. elegans at environmentally realistic concentrations. The aged microplastics disrupted neurotransmitter systems including dopamine and serotonin, leading to impaired movement. This study is concerning because it shows that everyday plastic items we use for food can release microplastics that have neurotoxic effects.
Multigenerational growth inhibition and oxidative stress of polystyrene micro(nano)plastics on earthworms (Eisenia fetida)
Researchers exposed earthworms to polystyrene nano- and microplastics across two generations, finding both particle types reduced offspring numbers by 23–39%, disrupted reproductive tissue structure, and caused oxidative stress, with nanoplastics producing more severe multigenerational effects.
Reproductive toxicity of micro- and nanoplastics
This review summarizes existing research on how micro- and nanoplastics harm reproduction across many species, from marine invertebrates to mammals. The particles can cause oxidative stress and hormone disruption, leading to reduced fertility, abnormal embryo development, and toxic effects that pass to offspring. The findings raise concerns that human reproductive health could be similarly affected given our increasing exposure to these particles.
Long-term nanoplastics exposure results in multi and trans-generational reproduction decline associated with germline toxicity and epigenetic regulation in Caenorhabditis elegans
Researchers discovered that a single exposure to nanoplastics in mother roundworms caused reproductive decline that persisted across four subsequent unexposed generations. The study found that nanoplastics triggered DNA damage and cell death in reproductive cells, with these effects passed down through epigenetic changes rather than direct nanoplastic transfer to offspring. This finding suggests that nanoplastic exposure may have lasting consequences for fertility that extend well beyond the initially exposed generation.
Size-Dependent Disruption of Lipid Metabolism by Polystyrene Micro- and Nanoplastics in Caenorhabditis elegans Revealed Through Multi-Omics and Functional Genetic Validation
Researchers used the model organism C. elegans to study how polystyrene particles of different sizes affect lipid metabolism, finding that both 100-nanometer and 1-micrometer particles disrupted fat storage and lipid processing. Multi-omics analysis identified four core genes governing the size-dependent metabolic disruption, and elevated levels of specific lipid metabolites confirmed that microplastics can meaningfully interfere with lipid homeostasis.
Transgenerational neurotoxicity of polystyrene microplastics induced by oxidative stress in Caenorhabditis elegans
Researchers exposed the roundworm C. elegans to polystyrene microplastics and tracked the effects across five generations. They found that microplastic exposure caused nerve damage and oxidative stress that persisted in offspring even when those generations were not directly exposed, suggesting microplastics can have lasting effects passed down through generations.