Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Endangered, exploited glass eels (Anguilla anguilla) with critical levels of heavy metals and microplastics reveal both shipping and plastic spill threats

Researchers measured heavy metals and microplastics in endangered European glass eels and the estuarine waters they pass through in the Bay of Biscay region. They found that cadmium levels in eels from all estuaries exceeded legal European limits, and some waterways showed microplastic concentrations above ecotoxicological thresholds. The findings highlight the compounding threats that chemical and microplastic pollution pose to this already critically endangered species.

2025 Environmental Pollution 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Gene Expression Analysis in Freshwater Mussels (Unio stevenianus) Collected from Pollutant-Associated Environment

Not relevant to microplastics — this study uses freshwater mussels in a Turkish river as biological sentinels of general water pollution by measuring stress-related gene expression levels, without a focus on microplastic contamination.

2023 Menba Kastamonu Üniversitesi Su Ürünleri Fakültesi Dergisi 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics across biomes in diadromous species. Insights from the critically endangered Anguilla anguilla

Researchers examined microplastic ingestion in young European eels across freshwater and marine environments, finding these critically endangered diadromous fish are exposed to microplastic contamination in both habitats throughout their life cycle.

2022 Environmental Pollution 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Selection, identification and evaluation of optimal reference genes in Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis) under polypropylene microplastics stress

Researchers established reliable reference genes for studying how polypropylene microplastics affect gene expression in Chinese sturgeon, a protected fish species. They found that microplastic exposure caused visible liver damage, metabolic changes, and oxidative stress in the fish. The study provides essential tools for future research into the molecular-level impacts of microplastic pollution on endangered aquatic species.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Low microplastic loads in riverine European eel (Anguilla anguilla) from southwest England during their marine–freshwater transition

This study found very low levels of microplastic contamination in juvenile European eels (elvers) from three rivers in southwest England, with only 3.3% of individuals carrying particles. While contamination levels were low, the results establish a baseline for monitoring trends in this critically endangered migratory fish species.

2023 Journal of Fish Biology 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Regulation of Gene Expression in Fish

This paper is not relevant to microplastics research — it is a broad review of how environmental pollutants regulate gene expression in fish, covering heavy metals, pesticides, and endocrine disruptors.

2023 Fishes 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Polyethylene microbeads induce transcriptional responses with tissue-dependent patterns in the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis

Researchers exposed fish to polyethylene microbeads and measured gene expression across tissues, finding tissue-dependent transcriptional responses that suggest microplastic ingestion affects multiple physiological systems in distinct ways.

2017 Journal of Molluscan Studies 90 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of trace metals and microplastics on the gene expression of antioxidant and detoxification genes in Mytilus galloprovincialis from estuaries

Researchers measured microplastic contamination and trace metal concentrations alongside antioxidant and detoxification gene expression in wild mussels from three estuaries in the Asturias region of Spain. Significant differences in both pollutant levels and gene expression were found between clean and polluted sites, though post-mining estuaries showed signs of recovery.

2025 Chemosphere 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxicity of environmental and polystyrene plastic particles on the bivalve Corbicula fluminea: focus on the molecular responses

Researchers exposed freshwater bivalves to environmental microplastics and nanoplastics collected from a river, as well as to laboratory polystyrene nanoparticles, and measured molecular-level responses. Gene expression analysis revealed that plastic particle exposure activated stress response and immune defense pathways in gill and visceral tissues. The study indicates that even environmentally relevant concentrations of plastic particles can trigger measurable biological stress in filter-feeding organisms.

2024 Ecotoxicology 2 citations
Article Tier 2

The effects of exposure to microplastics on grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) at the physiological, biochemical, and transcriptomic levels

Researchers exposed grass carp to microplastics at two concentrations for 21 days and observed liver damage, inhibited growth, and increased oxidative stress. Transcriptome analysis revealed over 1,500 differentially expressed genes related to immune response, metabolism, and cellular stress pathways. The study suggests that microplastic exposure can trigger broad physiological and molecular disruptions in freshwater fish.

2021 Chemosphere 54 citations
Article Tier 2

Copper and Microplastic Exposure Affects the Gill Gene Expression of Common Carp During Saltwater Challenge

This study examined how combined copper and microplastic exposure affects gill gene expression in common carp, finding synergistic stress responses including upregulation of genes involved in oxidative stress defense and immune function.

2024 Science Journal of University of Zakho 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Genes of filter-feeding species as a potential toolkit for monitoring microplastic impacts

Researchers developed a genetic toolkit using candidate genes from filter-feeding marine species to monitor the biological impacts of microplastic exposure in natural environments. They identified six genes across nine species that show measurable expression changes when organisms encounter microplastics. The study offers a practical molecular approach for tracking how microplastic pollution is actually affecting wild marine populations.

2025 Aquatic Toxicology 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Molecular markers of stress in the sea urchin embryo test: Analysing the effect of climate change and pollutant mixtures on Paracentrotus lividus larvae

This study exposed sea urchin larvae to future ocean conditions (warming and acidification) combined with chlorpyrifos-contaminated microplastics and used RNA sequencing to assess responses. Combined stressors caused significant transcriptional shifts in metabolic, cellular, and developmental pathways, with morphological effects including reduced larval size.

2025 Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part C Toxicology & Pharmacology
Article Tier 2

Altered gene expression in Chironomus riparius (insecta) in response to tire rubber and polystyrene microplastics

Researchers investigated changes in gene expression in the aquatic insect Chironomus riparius after exposure to polystyrene and tire rubber microplastics. The study found that both types of microplastics altered the expression of genes involved in stress response and detoxification, suggesting that microplastic pollution can cause molecular-level effects in freshwater organisms even at sublethal concentrations.

2021 Environmental Pollution 73 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessment of microplastic-contaminated liver through gene expression profiling of four commercial fish species in the Lagos Lagoon, Nigeria

Researchers analyzed the livers of four commercial fish species from the Lagos Lagoon in Nigeria and found microplastic contamination in all of them. Gene expression analysis revealed that the microplastic accumulation triggered changes in genes related to stress response and immune function. The study raises concerns about potential health risks for people who regularly consume fish from polluted urban waterways.

2024 Scientific African 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Molecular mechanisms controlling physiological plasticity in marine mussels under the influence of natural and anthropogenic stress factors

This thesis project investigated the molecular mechanisms that help Mediterranean mussels cope with environmental stress, including both natural factors and emerging pollutants like microplastics. Understanding these stress responses could help predict how marine shellfish will fare as pollution and climate change intensify.

2021
Article Tier 2

Differential responses of selectively bred mussels (Perna canaliculus) to heat stress—survival, immunology, gene expression and microbiome diversity

This study examined how selectively bred green-lipped mussels respond to heat stress, finding that genetic background significantly influenced survival rates, immune responses, and gene expression during heat challenges. While not directly about microplastics, the research is relevant because environmental stressors like microplastic pollution can compound heat stress effects on shellfish. Understanding how marine organisms cope with stress helps predict how additional pressures from plastic pollution might affect seafood species.

2024 Frontiers in Physiology 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of zebrafish exposure to high-density polyethylene and polystyrene microplastics at molecular and histological levels

This study exposed zebrafish to high-density polyethylene and polystyrene microplastics and used genomic analysis to identify which biological pathways were most affected, finding widespread disruption of immune function, metabolism, and stress response genes. The transcriptomic approach reveals that different plastic types activate distinct molecular stress responses in fish.

2018 Use Siena air (University of Siena)
Article Tier 2

Phenotypic and Gene Expression Alterations in Aquatic Organisms Exposed to Microplastics

This review summarizes research on how microplastics affect aquatic animals at the genetic level, covering changes in hatching, development, and growth. Microplastics, especially when combined with other pollutants, trigger abnormal gene activity in antioxidant and stress-response systems in fish and other water organisms. These genetic disruptions in aquatic life are relevant to human health because affected organisms can enter the food chain through seafood.

2025 International Journal of Molecular Sciences 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Acute toxic effects of polyethylene microplastic on adult zebrafish

Researchers exposed adult zebrafish to polyethylene microplastics of various sizes to identify physical effects, behavioral changes, and gene expression impacts. They found that microplastic ingestion varied by particle size and that exposure altered expression of detoxification and reproduction-related genes. The study suggests that microplastic pollution at environmentally relevant concentrations could affect both the health and reproductive capacity of fish.

2019 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 290 citations