Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Polystyrene nanoplastic exposure induces immobilization, reproduction, and stress defense in the freshwater cladoceran Daphnia pulex

Researchers documented how polystyrene nanoplastics accumulate in the guts of the freshwater crustacean Daphnia pulex and cause chronic toxicity at environmentally relevant concentrations, delaying reproduction, reducing offspring numbers, and inducing then suppressing antioxidant defense genes over a 21-day exposure.

2018 Chemosphere 285 citations
Article Tier 2

Adverse effects of microplastics and oxidative stress-induced MAPK/Nrf2 pathway-mediated defense mechanisms in the marine copepod Paracyclopina nana

Researchers studied how nano- and micro-sized polystyrene particles affect a tiny marine crustacean called a copepod at the molecular level. They found that the smallest particles caused the most severe oxidative stress and triggered cellular defense pathways, with effects worsening at higher concentrations. The study suggests that microplastics can disrupt the internal chemistry of marine organisms even at sizes too small to see with the naked eye.

2017 Scientific Reports 561 citations
Article Tier 2

Comprehensive analysis of proteomic and biochemical responses of Daphnia magna to short-term exposure to polystyrene microplastic particles

Scientists exposed tiny freshwater crustaceans (Daphnia magna) to polystyrene microplastic particles for just 48 hours and found widespread disruptions at the molecular level. The organisms showed reduced energy metabolism, elevated signs of oxidative stress, and activated cellular uptake pathways, possibly as a defense mechanism. These findings indicate that even short-term microplastic exposure can trigger a complex stress response in a species that plays a key role in freshwater food webs.

2024 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined exposure to hypoxia and nanoplastics leads to negative synergistic oxidative stress-mediated effects in the water flea Daphnia magna

Researchers exposed the freshwater crustacean Daphnia magna to both hypoxia (low oxygen) and nanoplastics simultaneously, finding that combined stressors act synergistically to amplify oxidative stress and cause more severe reproductive and growth impairment than either stressor alone, mediated by HIF-1α, NF-κB, and MAPK pathways.

2024 Marine Pollution Bulletin 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Changes in life-history traits, antioxidant defense, energy metabolism and molecular outcomes in the cladoceran Daphnia pulex after exposure to polystyrene microplastics

Researchers exposed the freshwater zooplankton Daphnia pulex to polystyrene microplastics and observed dose-dependent effects on survival, antioxidant capacity, and energy metabolism. The study found that microplastics accumulated in the digestive tract, caused lipid oxidative damage, disrupted sugar and fat metabolism, and activated DNA repair mechanisms while inhibiting lipid metabolism pathways.

2022 Chemosphere 42 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene nanoplastic induces oxidative stress, immune defense, and glycometabolism change in Daphnia pulex: Application of transcriptome profiling in risk assessment of nanoplastics

Researchers used transcriptome sequencing to examine how polystyrene nanoplastics affect gene expression in the water flea Daphnia pulex. After 96 hours of exposure, they identified 208 genes with altered expression levels, linked to oxidative stress, immune defense, and sugar metabolism pathways. The study provides molecular-level evidence that nanoplastic pollution can trigger multiple stress responses in freshwater organisms.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 167 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of polystyrene nanoplastics on apoptosis and inflammation in zebrafish larvae: Insights from reactive oxygen species perspective

Researchers showed that polystyrene nanoplastics accumulate in zebrafish larvae and trigger excessive reactive oxygen species production via NADPH oxidase upregulation, causing mitochondrial dysfunction, apoptosis, and NF-κB-driven inflammation — with inhibiting ROS generation effectively blocking downstream cell death and inflammatory responses.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Orally administered nano-polystyrene caused vitellogenin alteration and oxidative stress in the red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii)

Researchers orally dosed red swamp crayfish with 100 nm carboxylated polystyrene nanoparticles and found mild but measurable stress responses including altered gene expression in immune function, oxidative stress pathways, lipid metabolism, and reproduction, suggesting nanoplastics can perturb molecular systems even at low concentrations without breaching physiological thresholds.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Investigating the toxicities of different functionalized polystyrene nanoplastics on Daphnia magna

Researchers compared the toxicity of plain and surface-modified polystyrene nanoplastics on Daphnia water fleas, finding that unmodified particles were most lethal by activating stress kinase pathways, while surface-functionalized particles were less toxic — largely because positively charged particles aggregated rapidly in water and reduced their effective exposure concentration.

2019 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 154 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Invertebrate responses to microplastic ingestion: Reviewing the role of the antioxidant system

Microplastic ingestion poses an oxidative challenge to invertebrates requiring upregulation of antioxidant defenses, but studies are limited to only seven taxa, dominated by polystyrene spheres <10 µm, and the lack of systematic experiments prevents identifying which specific microplastic characteristics drive the oxidative stress response.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 208 citations
Article Tier 2

Molecular characterisation of cytochrome P450 enzymes in waterflea (Daphnia pulex) and their expression regulation by polystyrene nanoplastics

Researchers cloned and characterized two cytochrome P450 enzyme genes in the water flea Daphnia pulex and found that polystyrene nanoplastic exposure at 0.5 mg/L upregulated three of five CYP genes, with expression returning toward baseline at higher doses — suggesting these detoxification enzymes respond to nanoplastic stress and may serve as molecular biomarkers of nanoplastic exposure in aquatic invertebrates.

2019 Aquatic Toxicology 62 citations
Article Tier 2

Age-dependent survival, stress defense, and AMPK in Daphnia pulex after short-term exposure to a polystyrene nanoplastic

Researchers tested how polystyrene nanoplastics affected Daphnia pulex water fleas at five life stages, finding that while lethality was similar in the youngest and oldest individuals, stress-defense gene expression and the energy-sensing enzyme AMPK responded differently across age groups, indicating that age shapes how organisms cope with nanoplastic exposure.

2018 Aquatic Toxicology 150 citations
Article Tier 2

Development of an adverse outcome pathway for nanoplastic toxicity in Daphnia pulex using proteomics

Using proteomics and molecular analysis, researchers developed an adverse outcome pathway for polystyrene nanoplastic toxicity in Daphnia pulex, finding that 21-day exposure impaired reproduction and identified 327 differentially expressed proteins linked to oxidative stress, endocrine disruption, and metabolic disruption.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 88 citations
Article Tier 2

Regulation of Oxidative Stress-Related Signaling Pathways in Tetrahymena pyriformis Exposed to Micro- and Nanoplastics

Researchers exposed the protozoan Tetrahymena pyriformis to polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics and found uptake of both particle types along with activation of multiple oxidative stress signaling pathways, demonstrating cellular stress responses in this model organism.

2025 Microplastics
Article Tier 2

Evaluation of nanoplastics-induced redox imbalance in cells, larval zebrafish, and daphnia magna with a superoxide anion radical fluorescent probe

Researchers developed a fluorescent probe to detect oxidative damage caused by nanoplastics in living cells, zebrafish larvae, and water fleas. The study suggests that nanoplastic exposure triggers the production of harmful superoxide radicals through specific inflammatory signaling pathways, providing new insight into how these tiny plastic particles may cause biological harm.

2024 Chemosphere 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoparticle-Biological Interactions in a Marine Benthic Foraminifer

Researchers exposed single-celled marine organisms called foraminifera to three types of engineered nanoparticles — including polystyrene nanoplastics — and found that all three accumulated inside the cells and triggered oxidative stress (a form of cellular damage). This study shows that even microscopic seafloor organisms are vulnerable to nanoplastic pollution, expanding the known range of species harmed by plastic contamination.

2019 Scientific Reports 40 citations
Article Tier 2

Transcriptional response provides insights into the effect of chronic polystyrene nanoplastic exposure on Daphnia pulex

RNA sequencing of Daphnia pulex after 21 days of polystyrene nanoplastic exposure identified 244 differentially expressed genes, with key downregulated genes involved in trehalose metabolism and chitin synthesis and upregulated genes involved in stress response pathways. The transcriptomic analysis reveals metabolic and immune disruption as central mechanisms of chronic nanoplastic toxicity in this keystone freshwater species.

2019 Chemosphere 125 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecotoxicology of Polystyrene Microplastic Fragments: Oxidative Stress Effects in Neonate Versus Adult Daphnia magna

Researchers exposed neonate and adult Daphnia magna, a key freshwater organism, to polystyrene microplastic fragments to assess oxidative stress effects. They found that younger organisms were significantly more sensitive to microplastic exposure, showing greater oxidative stress and reduced antioxidant responses compared to adults. The study highlights that life stage is an important factor when evaluating the ecological risks of microplastic pollution in aquatic environments.

2023 Water Air & Soil Pollution 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastics induce molecular toxicity in Simocephalus vetulus: A transcriptome and intestinal microorganism analysis

Researchers exposed a freshwater crustacean to polystyrene nanoplastics and found widespread molecular-level damage, including oxidative stress, disrupted energy metabolism, and signs of neurotoxicity. The nanoplastics also significantly altered the animals' gut microbiome, increasing harmful bacteria and weakening intestinal barrier function. The study provides a detailed picture of how plastic pollution can affect freshwater organisms at the cellular and genetic level.

2024 Aquatic Toxicology 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Determination of bioaccumulation of polystyrene nanoplastics in mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis and their impact on enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidative stress mechanisms

Researchers assessed the bioaccumulation of polystyrene nanoplastics in the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis and measured enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant stress responses after 4 days of exposure to 1 mg/L of 54 nm particles. Nanoplastics accumulated in mussel tissues and triggered significant oxidative stress responses, including altered superoxide dismutase and catalase activity, indicating toxicological effects at environmentally relevant concentrations.

2024 Juraj Dobrila University of Pula Digital Repository
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastics induce apoptosis and necroptosis in swine testis cells via ROS/MAPK/HIF1α pathway

Researchers exposed swine testis cells to polystyrene microplastics and found that the particles reduced cell viability and triggered both programmed cell death and necroptosis. The damage was driven by excessive production of reactive oxygen species that activated stress signaling pathways. Since pigs are physiologically similar to humans, the findings raise concerns about potential reproductive health effects of microplastic exposure in mammals.

2022 Environmental Toxicology 88 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluation of microplastic toxicity in accordance with different sizes and exposure times in the marine copepod Tigriopus japonicus

Researchers exposed marine copepods to polystyrene microbeads of two different sizes to understand how particle size and exposure duration affect toxicity. They found that both nano-sized and micro-sized particles increased reactive oxygen species levels inside cells and altered antioxidant gene expression and enzyme activity. The study provides important molecular-level evidence that microplastic toxicity in marine organisms depends on both the size of the particles and how long organisms are exposed.

2019 Marine Environmental Research 210 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxicological effects of polystyrene nanoplastics on marine organisms

Researchers exposed Pacific white shrimp to polystyrene nanoplastics at various concentrations and measured immune, antioxidant, and tissue responses after seven days. They found that nanoplastic exposure disrupted immune function, increased oxidative stress, and caused tissue damage, particularly in the hepatopancreas and gills. The study adds to growing evidence that nanoplastics can harm the health of commercially important marine species.

2023 Environmental Technology & Innovation 32 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene nanoplastics decrease molting and induce oxidative stress in adult Macrobrachium nipponense

Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics significantly decreased molting frequency and induced oxidative stress in adult freshwater prawns, with effects on antioxidant enzyme activities observed at environmentally relevant concentrations.

2022 Fish & Shellfish Immunology 37 citations