Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

Heatwaves increase the polystyrene nanoplastic-induced toxicity to marine diatoms through interfacial interaction regulation

Researchers found that marine heatwaves significantly worsen the toxic effects of polystyrene nanoplastics on an important ocean diatom species. The higher temperatures weakened the algal cell walls and increased nanoplastic adhesion, leading to greater membrane damage and reduced photosynthesis and carbon absorption. The findings suggest that climate change and plastic pollution together may pose a compounding threat to ocean productivity.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Physiological and metabolic toxicity of polystyrene microplastics to Dunaliella salina

Researchers studied the physiological and metabolic effects of polystyrene microplastics on the marine microalga Dunaliella salina. They found that both pristine and aged microplastics inhibited growth, increased reactive oxygen species production by up to 2.2-fold, and caused significant membrane lipid damage. Metabolomic analysis revealed that the microplastics disrupted amino acid metabolism and energy transport pathways, ultimately inhibiting cell division.

2022 Environmental Pollution 54 citations
Article Tier 2

Each temperature degree counts: warming enhances polystyrene nanoplastic toxicity via metabolic disruption in a marine cellular model

This study examined how elevated water temperatures — simulating marine heatwaves — amplify the toxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics in marine cells, finding that warming enhanced metabolic disruption caused by nanoplastics. The results suggest climate change and plastic pollution interact synergistically to harm marine organisms.

2025 Aquatic Toxicology
Article Tier 2

Unravelling the toxicity mechanisms of polystyrene nanoplastics on physiological and transcriptomic responses of the marine dinoflagellate Alexandrium minutum

Researchers exposed the toxic marine dinoflagellate Alexandrium minutum to polystyrene nanoplastics at concentrations from 0.1 to 50 mg/L and measured physiological responses and toxin production. NP exposure inhibited growth and photosynthesis, altered gene expression, and changed the profile of paralytic shellfish toxins produced by the alga.

2025 Environmental Pollution
Article Tier 2

Biological Responses to Climate Change and Nanoplastics Are Altered in Concert: Full-Factor Screening Reveals Effects of Multiple Stressors on Primary Producers

Using high-throughput screening of a freshwater green alga, researchers tested how nanoplastics interact with multiple climate change stressors (temperature, CO2, pH, UV), finding that nanoplastics combined with warming or UV caused greater harm than either alone, and that climate change will likely amplify nanoplastic toxicity.

2020 Environmental Science & Technology 87 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene Plastic Particles Result in Adverse Outcomes for Hyalella azteca When Exposed at Elevated Temperatures

Experiments with the amphipod Hyalella azteca showed that polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics caused greater adverse effects at elevated water temperatures, suggesting that climate warming could amplify the ecotoxicological impacts of plastic pollution.

2024 Water
Article Tier 2

Effects of micro- and nano-plastics on growth, antioxidant system, DMS, and DMSP production in Emiliania huxleyi

Researchers exposed a key ocean-dwelling algae species to polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics and found that both sizes impaired growth and triggered oxidative stress. The nanoplastics were more harmful than microplastics, reducing chlorophyll content and altering the production of climate-relevant sulfur compounds. The study suggests that plastic pollution could disrupt ocean algae that play an important role in regulating atmospheric chemistry and climate.

2024 Environmental Pollution 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxicities of polystyrene nano- and microplastics toward marine bacterium Halomonas alkaliphila

Polystyrene nano- and microplastics were found to be toxic to the marine bacterium Halomonas alkaliphila, with nanoplastics causing more severe membrane damage and oxidative stress than microplastics of equivalent mass. The results highlight that nanoplastics may pose greater risks to marine microbial communities than larger particles, with potential cascading effects on ocean biogeochemical cycles.

2018 The Science of The Total Environment 364 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined effects of nanoplastics and elevated temperature in the freshwater water flea Daphnia magna

This study found that polystyrene nanoplastics became more toxic to water fleas (Daphnia magna) at higher temperatures, causing more oxidative stress and a greater drop in reproduction. Warmer conditions increased how much plastic the organisms absorbed and accumulated. The findings suggest that as global temperatures rise, the harmful effects of nanoplastic pollution on aquatic life could get worse, potentially affecting species that are important food sources for fish.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 40 citations
Article Tier 2

Different patterns of hypoxia aggravate the toxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics in the mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis: Environmental risk assessment of plastics under global climate change

Researchers found that different patterns of hypoxia significantly aggravate the toxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics in mussels, suggesting that climate change-driven oxygen depletion could amplify the environmental risks of plastic pollution in marine ecosystems.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 32 citations
Article Tier 2

The Effecting Mechanisms of 100 nm Sized Polystyrene Nanoplastics on the Typical Coastal Alexandrium tamarense

Researchers examined the effects of 100-nanometer polystyrene nanoplastics on the harmful algal bloom species Alexandrium tamarense. They found that nanoplastic exposure inhibited algal growth and photosynthesis while increasing production of paralytic shellfish toxins and reactive oxygen species. The study suggests that nanoplastic pollution in coastal waters could worsen harmful algal bloom impacts by stressing toxin-producing algal species.

2024 International Journal of Molecular Sciences 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Persistence of algal toxicity induced by polystyrene nanoplastics at environmentally relevant concentrations

Researchers studied whether the harmful effects of polystyrene nanoplastics on marine algae are temporary or long-lasting. They found that while some damage, like oxidative stress, was reversible after exposure ended, other effects such as increased cell membrane damage persisted. The study suggests that even at low, environmentally realistic concentrations, nanoplastics can cause lasting disruption to algal metabolism and cell function.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 31 citations
Article Tier 2

Understanding nanoplastic toxicity and their interaction with engineered cationic nanopolymers in microalgae by physiological and proteomic approaches

Physiological and proteomic analysis of microalgae exposed to polystyrene nanoplastics and PAMAM dendrimers singly and combined revealed novel toxicity mechanisms including protein expression changes and identified potential biomarkers for nanopolymer exposure in aquatic primary producers.

2021 Environmental Science Nano 31 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics increase the adverse impacts of lead on the growth, morphological structure and photosynthesis of marine microalga Platymonas helgolandica

Combined exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics and lead was found to have greater adverse effects on marine microalga Platymonas helgolandica growth, morphology, and photosynthesis than lead alone, indicating nanoplastics can amplify heavy metal toxicity in marine primary producers.

2023 Marine Environmental Research 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene nanoplastics cause growth inhibition, morphological damage and physiological disturbance in the marine microalga Platymonas helgolandica

Researchers exposed marine green microalgae to polystyrene nanoplastics and found significant growth inhibition, increased membrane permeability, disrupted photosynthesis, and visible morphological damage — including surface fragmentation and cellular rupture — at concentrations as low as 200 µg/L.

2020 Marine Pollution Bulletin 128 citations
Article Tier 2

Dual impacts of elevated pCO2 on the ecological effects induced by microplastics and nanoplastics: A study with Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Researchers examined how freshwater acidification from elevated carbon dioxide interacts with polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics to affect a common green algae species. They found that smaller nanoplastics caused greater harm than larger microplastics, primarily through oxidative stress, while acidification alone actually promoted algal growth. The study reveals that climate change and plastic pollution can interact in unexpected ways, with acidification sometimes masking or modifying the toxic effects of plastic particles.

2025 Aquatic Toxicology 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics reshape lipid metabolism in marine microalgae with potential ecological consequence

Researchers exposed a marine microalga important to ocean ecosystems to nanoplastics and found significant disruptions to its lipid metabolism, reducing both biomass and lipid production. The nanoplastics altered the types of fats the algae produced, potentially affecting the nutritional value of these organisms for the marine food web. The findings suggest that nanoplastic pollution could have cascading ecological consequences by disrupting carbon cycling at the base of the food chain.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 2 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Meta-analysis for systematic review of global micro/nano-plastics contamination versus various freshwater microalgae: Toxicological effect patterns, taxon-specific response, and potential eco-risks

A meta-analysis of 1,071 observations found that nanoplastics cause more severe cell membrane damage than microplastics, while microplastics more strongly inhibit photosynthesis in freshwater microalgae. Among polymer types, polyamide caused the highest growth inhibition, polystyrene induced the most toxin release, and diatoms were the most sensitive algal group while cyanobacteria showed exceptional resilience.

2024 Water Research 36 citations
Review Tier 2

Environmental behavior and toxic effects of micro(nano)plastics and engineered nanoparticles on marine organisms under ocean acidification: A review.

This review examined how ocean acidification interacts with the toxicity of micro- and nano-plastics and engineered nanoparticles in marine ecosystems, finding that lower pH can alter particle surface chemistry and enhance toxic effects in some organisms. The combined stressor perspective is important because climate change and plastic pollution are co-occurring in the same marine environments.

2024 Environmental research
Article Tier 2

Different surface modified polystyrene nanoplastics can affect growth adaptability of Skeletonema costatum to heat stress

Researchers assessed how heat stress and polystyrene nanoplastics (PS, PS-NH2, PS-COOH) interact to affect the growth of the marine microalga Skeletonema costatum. Elevated temperature stimulated algal growth, but all three nanoplastic surface modifications impaired thermal acclimatization, with transcriptome analysis revealing that nanoplastics significantly disrupted the gene expression responses needed to adapt to heat stress.

2025 npj Emerging Contaminants
Article Tier 2

Toxicity of nanoplastics to zooplankton is influenced by temperature, salinity, and natural particulate matter

Researchers found that increased temperature and salinity promoted nanoplastic toxicity to zooplankton, while the presence of organic matter and natural colloids mitigated toxic effects, suggesting environmental conditions significantly modulate nanoplastic risks.

2022 Environmental Science Nano 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Elevated pCO2 alleviates the toxic effects of polystyrene nanoparticles on the marine microalga Nannochloropsis oceanica

Researchers found that simulated ocean acidification (elevated CO2) significantly reduced the toxicity of polystyrene nanoparticles to the marine microalga Nannochloropsis oceanica, likely because acidic conditions caused nanoparticles to aggregate into larger, less bioavailable clusters and promoted ribosomal protein synthesis that helped cells cope with nanoparticle stress.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro/nano-plastics and microalgae in aquatic environment: Influence factor, interaction, and molecular mechanisms.

This review examined the interactions between micro/nanoplastics and microalgae in aquatic environments, summarizing how plastic particle size, surface chemistry, and co-pollutants influence algal toxicity through oxidative stress, photosynthesis inhibition, and gene expression changes.

2024 The Science of the total environment
Article Tier 2

The impact of polystyrene nanoplastics on plants in the scenario of increasing temperatures: The case of Azolla filiculoides Lam

Researchers studied the combined effects of polystyrene nanoplastics and elevated temperatures on the aquatic fern Azolla filiculoides. They found that higher temperatures amplified the toxic effects of nanoplastics on plant growth and photosynthetic performance. The study suggests that climate change may worsen the environmental impact of nanoplastic pollution on aquatic plant communities.

2024 Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 2 citations