Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Antioxidant Capacity, Enzyme Activities Related to Energy Metabolism, and Transcriptome Analysis of Crassostrea hongkongensis Exposed to Hypoxia

Researchers studied how low-oxygen conditions affect the antioxidant defenses and energy metabolism of the Hong Kong oyster, an important aquaculture species in China. They found that hypoxia significantly altered enzyme activity related to energy production and caused oxidative stress in the oysters. The study provides insights into how seasonal oxygen depletion in coastal waters threatens oyster health and aquaculture productivity.

2024 Antioxidants 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic Microfibers Impact the Immune System of the Pacific Oyster

Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) from Morro Bay Estuary were exposed to polyester microfibers and showed altered immune gene expression and elevated hemocyte activity, indicating that microfiber exposure triggers measurable immune system responses in commercially important shellfish.

2025 DigitalCommons - CalPoly (California State Polytechnic University)
Article Tier 2

Differential sensitivity of hemocyte subpopulations (mytilus edulis) to aged polyethylene terephthalate micro-and-nanoplastic particles

This study examined how different hemocyte populations in Mytilus edulis mussels respond to aged polystyrene microplastics, finding that granulocytes and hyalinocytes differ in their sensitivity. The results improve understanding of how microplastic exposure impairs bivalve immune function.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Exploring the Internal Defense System of Cerastoderma glaucum (Bruguière, 1789) Exposed to Pristine Microplastics: The Sentinel Role of Haemocytes as Biomarkers

This study examined how pristine microplastic exposure affects the immune cells of the cockle Cerastoderma glaucum, using hemocytes as biomarkers of immunotoxicity. The results showed that microplastics altered hemocyte behavior, supporting the use of bivalves as sentinel species for microplastic pollution monitoring.

2024 Fishes 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Differential sensitivity of hemocyte subpopulations (mytilus edulis) to aged polyethylene terephthalate micro-and-nanoplastic particles

This study examined how different hemocyte subpopulations in blue mussels respond differently to aged polystyrene microplastics, focusing on hyalinocytes versus granulocytes. The results show that immune cell sensitivity to microplastic exposure varies by cell type, with implications for understanding bivalve immune health.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Winter and Summer Variations in the Physiological Parameters of Two Scleractinian Corals in Sanya Bay

Not a microplastics paper — this study examines seasonal changes in the physiology of two coral species in Sanya Bay, China, finding that summer high temperatures and low salinity stress their symbiotic algae and trigger oxidative responses in the corals.

2023 Water 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Bivalve Haemocyte Subpopulations: A Review

This review examined bivalve haemocyte subpopulations and their classification methods, highlighting how different haemocyte types perform distinct immune functions critical to both the ecological success and commercial production of bivalve molluscs.

2022 Frontiers in Immunology 144 citations
Article Tier 2

Physiological and transcriptomic analyses reveal critical immune responses to hypoxia and sulfide in the haemolymph of clam Tegillarca granosa

This paper is not relevant to microplastics research — it examines how hypoxia and sulfide exposure affect immune responses in blood clams (Tegillarca granosa) at a physiological and transcriptomic level.

2023 Frontiers in Marine Science 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined effects of salinity and polystyrene microplastics exposure on the Pacific oysters Crassostrea gigas: Oxidative stress and energy metabolism

Researchers studied how salinity levels affect the toxicity of polystyrene microplastics in Pacific oysters and found that low salinity reduced microplastic uptake but created complex interactions with oxidative stress and energy metabolism. Smaller microplastics generally caused more biological disruption than larger ones across all salinity conditions. This is important because coastal oyster habitats frequently experience salinity changes, and the findings suggest environmental conditions can alter how harmful microplastics are to shellfish.

2023 Marine Pollution Bulletin 37 citations
Article Tier 2

Immunotoxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics in different hemocyte subpopulations of Mytilus galloprovincialis

Researchers exposed hemocyte subpopulations of Mytilus galloprovincialis mussels to polystyrene nanoplastics and found that different immune cell types responded differently, with some showing increased mortality and lysosomal damage at environmentally relevant concentrations.

2020 Scientific Reports 90 citations
Article Tier 2

Time-Course of the Innate Immune Response of the Terrestrial Crustacean Porcellio scaber After Injection of a Single Dose of Lipopolysaccharide

Researchers characterized the innate immune response of the terrestrial crustacean Porcellio scaber following injection with bacterial lipopolysaccharide, finding rapid decreases in hemocyte numbers and viability within 3 hours followed by changes in immune cell composition and activation of phenoloxidase and nitric oxide pathways. These dynamics establish a baseline for interpreting microplastic and nanoplastic effects on crustacean immune parameters.

2022 Frontiers in Immunology 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of Microplastics Associated with Triclosan on the Oyster Crassostrea brasiliana: An Integrated Biomarker Approach

Brazilian oysters (Crassostrea brasiliana) were exposed to microplastics alone and in combination with the antibacterial chemical triclosan, with combined exposure causing greater oxidative stress, immune disruption, and genotoxicity than either stressor alone.

2020 Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 63 citations
Article Tier 2

Internal Defense System of Mytilus galloprovincialis (Lamarck, 1819): Ecological Role of Hemocytes as Biomarkers for Thiacloprid and Benzo[a]Pyrene Pollution

Researchers examined how exposure to the pesticide thiacloprid and the pollutant benzo[a]pyrene affects the immune defense system of Mediterranean mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis). The study used hemocytes as biomarkers and found that these pollutants, common in urbanized coastal areas, can significantly impact the internal defense mechanisms of marine invertebrates.

2023 Toxics 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Analysis of Water Quality Correlation with the Immune Response of Litopenaeus vannamei in Probolinggo, East Java

Researchers examined correlations between water quality parameters (temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, salinity) and immune response indicators in whiteleg shrimp farmed across three ponds in Probolinggo, East Java, finding specific parameters strongly predicted immune function.

2025 International Journal of Marine Engineering Innovation and Research
Article Tier 2

Environmental and Sublethal Concentrations of Polystyrene Nanoplastics Induced Antioxidant System, Transcriptomic Responses, and Disturbed Gut Microbiota in Oyster Magallana Hongkongensis

Researchers exposed Hong Kong oysters to polystyrene nanoplastics at both environmentally realistic and higher concentrations. Even at the lower, real-world concentrations, the nanoplastics significantly altered the oysters' gut bacteria and gene expression patterns, while higher doses also triggered immune and antioxidant stress responses, raising concerns about food safety and ecosystem health.

2024 Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Cellular Bioreactivity of Micro- and Nano-Plastic Particles in Oysters

Polystyrene nano (50 nm) and micro (3 μm) beads were exposed to Eastern oysters and internalization into cells was evaluated, finding that both particle sizes were taken up by hemocytes (immune cells) with nanoparticles reaching intracellular locations more effectively than microparticles. The study provides cellular-level evidence that nanoplastics can penetrate oyster immune cells, raising concern about immunological disruption in commercially important shellfish.

2018 Frontiers in Marine Science 86 citations
Article Tier 2

Pollution in marine bivalves: The immunosuppressive effects of microplastics on Anadara granosa

Researchers exposed blood clams to polystyrene microplastics for one week and found that the plastics suppressed their immune system in a dose-dependent manner. Higher microplastic concentrations reduced the clams' immune cell counts, hemoglobin, and disease-fighting enzymes. Since blood clams are a commercially harvested seafood species, weakened immunity could increase disease outbreaks in clam populations and potentially affect the safety of shellfish consumed by humans.

2025 Marine Environmental Research 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Evidence for immunomodulation and apoptotic processes induced by cationic polystyrene nanoparticles in the hemocytes of the marine bivalve Mytilus

Researchers exposed mussel immune cells (hemocytes) to cationic polystyrene nanoparticles and found dose-dependent reductions in phagocytic ability, increases in reactive oxygen species and nitric oxide, and apoptotic cell death at high concentrations — indicating nanoplastics can compromise invertebrate immune defenses through mechanisms similar to those seen in mammalian cells.

2015 Marine Environmental Research 389 citations
Article Tier 2

Interactive Immunomodulation in the Mediterranean Mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis Under Thermal Stress and Cadmium Exposure

Combined exposure to elevated temperature and cadmium in Mediterranean mussels triggered complex interactive effects on immune and antioxidant systems, with simultaneous stressors producing non-additive responses that highlight the difficulty of predicting organism health in multiply polluted warming seas.

2021 Frontiers in Marine Science 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Functional and Morphological Changes Induced in Mytilus Hemocytes by Selected Nanoparticles

Various nanoparticles including polystyrene nanoplastics induced functional and morphological changes in mussel (Mytilus) hemocytes, including altered phagocytosis and lysosomal membrane destabilization, with effects varying by particle composition and surface coating.

2021 Nanomaterials 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Comparative study of immunological biomarkers in the carpet shell clams (Ruditapes decussatus) from metal-contaminated sites in the South Lagoon of Tunis (Tunisia)

Researchers measured immune system markers in carpet shell clams living in a polluted Mediterranean lagoon in Tunisia, finding that industrial contamination and summer heat both weakened the clams' defenses against infection. These immune markers proved useful as environmental health indicators, able to distinguish between polluted and less-polluted sites across seasons.

2022 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Genome-wide identification and characterization of superoxide dismutases in four oyster species reveals functional differentiation in response to biotic and abiotic stress

Genome-wide analysis of superoxide dismutase (SOD) genes in four oyster species revealed that most extracellular Cu/Zn-SOD proteins appear to have lost enzymatic activity, with only one cytosolic form likely retaining function. Expression patterns differed in response to biotic and abiotic stressors, suggesting functional differentiation among SOD family members that may serve as biomarkers of environmental stress.

2022 BMC Genomics 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Hitchhikers in bivalve immune system: Mixed microplastics and nanoplastics triggers hemocyte autophagy

Researchers exposed bivalves to mixed microplastic and nanoplastic suspensions of multiple sizes and quantified the effects on hemocyte immune cell populations over time. Heterogeneous MNP mixtures reshaped hemocyte subpopulations non-additively, altering immune function in ways that single-size exposure studies would not predict.

2025 Environmental Pollution
Article Tier 2

Using Biometrics, Behavioral Observations, and Multiple Molecular Techniques to Assess the Impacts of Changes in Temperature and Salinity on the Common Bay Mussel (Mytilus trossulus)

This study used multiple molecular and physiological techniques to assess how the common bay mussel responds to changes in temperature and salinity, providing baseline data for understanding climate change impacts. Mussels are also used as sentinel organisms for monitoring microplastic contamination in coastal waters.

2023