Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Nanopolystyrene size effect and its combined acute toxicity with halogenated PAHs on Daphnia magna

Researchers tested how nanopolystyrene particle size affects toxicity to Daphnia magna water fleas alone and in combination with halogenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, finding smaller particles (30 nm) were far more toxic than larger ones (1 µm) and that the plastic-chemical mixtures showed antagonistic effects — reducing combined toxicity below what either contaminant caused alone.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined Toxicity of Polystyrene Nanoplastics and Pyriproxyfen to Daphnia magna

Researchers evaluated the combined toxic effects of polystyrene nanoplastics and the insecticide pyriproxyfen on the water flea Daphnia magna under both acute and chronic exposure conditions. They found that nanoplastics initially reduced the acute toxicity of the pesticide within 24 hours but worsened chronic effects over longer periods. The study suggests that nanoplastics can alter how other environmental contaminants affect aquatic organisms, complicating risk assessments.

2024 Sustainability 3 citations
Article Tier 2

The role of nanoplastics on the toxicity of the herbicide phenmedipham, using Danio rerio embryos as model organisms

Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics altered the toxicity of the herbicide phenmedipham to zebrafish embryos, with combined exposure producing different developmental effects than either contaminant alone, suggesting nanoplastics can modify pesticide bioavailability.

2022 Environmental Pollution 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics increase the toxicity of a pharmaceutical, at environmentally relevant concentrations – A mixture design with Daphnia magna

Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics significantly increased the toxicity of the pharmaceutical diphenhydramine to Daphnia magna water fleas at environmentally relevant concentrations. The combination caused oxidative damage that was not observed when organisms were exposed to either substance alone, indicating a synergistic interaction. The study highlights that the co-occurrence of nanoplastics and pharmaceutical pollutants in water may create compounding risks for aquatic organisms.

2023 Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene nanoplastics aggravated ecotoxicological effects of polychlorinated biphenyls in on zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos

Researchers exposed zebrafish embryos to polystyrene nanoplastics combined with PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls, banned industrial chemicals that persist in the environment) and found that nanoplastics significantly worsened PCB toxicity — amplifying damage to bone and heart development and suppressing the genes that normally help detoxify harmful chemicals. The nanoplastics also accumulated in the liver, intestine, and gills of zebrafish rather than being excreted, raising serious concerns about the ecological risks of rising nanoplastic levels in aquatic environments.

2022 Geoscience Frontiers 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene nanoplastics enhance the toxicological effects of DDE in zebrafish (Danio rerio) larvae

Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics enhanced the toxicity of the pesticide metabolite DDE in zebrafish larvae, with co-exposure causing greater developmental abnormalities and oxidative stress than either pollutant alone.

2022 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
Article Tier 2

Quantifying nanoplastic-bound chemicals accumulated in Daphnia magna with a passive dosing method

A passive dosing method was used to measure how chemicals accumulate in Daphnia water fleas when nanoplastics are present, helping separate direct particle effects from chemical effects. Understanding which pathway causes more harm is essential for accurately assessing nanoplastic risk.

2018 Environmental Science Nano 42 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene nanoplastics and wastewater displayed antagonistic toxic effects due to the sorption of wastewater micropollutants

Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics and wastewater micropollutants had antagonistic toxic effects when combined, because the nanoplastics sorbed positively charged pollutants through electrostatic interactions, reducing their bioavailability to aquatic organisms.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Screening of the Toxicity of Polystyrene Nano- and Microplastics Alone and in Combination with Benzo(a)pyrene in Brine Shrimp Larvae and Zebrafish Embryos

Researchers found that polystyrene nano- and microplastics alone showed minimal acute toxicity to brine shrimp and zebrafish embryos, but when combined with benzo(a)pyrene, the plastics altered the pollutant's bioavailability and toxic effects.

2022 Nanomaterials 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Controlled protein mediated aggregation of polystyrene nanoplastics does not reduce toxicity towards Daphnia magna

Researchers found that protein-mediated aggregation of polystyrene nanoplastics into larger clusters did not reduce their toxicity to Daphnia magna, whereas solid particles of equivalent aggregate size were non-toxic, suggesting aggregation state alone does not determine nanoplastic hazard.

2020 Environmental Science Nano 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Humic acid alleviates the toxicity of polystyrene nanoplastic particles toDaphnia magna

Daphnia magna were exposed to polystyrene nanoplastics with and without humic acid, finding that humic acid significantly reduced nanoplastic toxicity by altering particle aggregation and distribution within the organism. The study demonstrates that natural organic matter in water can modulate nanoplastic bioavailability, with implications for risk assessment under realistic environmental conditions.

2019 Environmental Science Nano 114 citations
Article Tier 2

Potential for high toxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics to the European Daphnia longispina

Researchers exposed water fleas (Daphnia) to polystyrene nanoplastics and found that 50 nm particles were thousands of times more toxic per unit mass than 100 nm particles, with effects comparable to highly regulated toxic chemicals. The results highlight how particle size dramatically changes nanoplastic hazard and challenge the assumption that microplastics pose low ecological risk.

2023 Environmental Sciences Europe 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene nanoplastics alter the cytotoxicity of human pharmaceuticals on marine fish cell lines

Researchers exposed marine fish cell lines to polystyrene nanoplastics and found that while the nanoplastics alone were not directly toxic, they significantly altered the cytotoxicity of human pharmaceuticals, with one cell line proving more sensitive than the other, underscoring how nanoplastics can change the hazard profile of co-occurring chemical pollutants.

2019 Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology 105 citations
Article Tier 2

Developmental toxicity and mechanism of polychlorinated biphenyls 126 and nano-polystyrene combined exposure to zebrafish larvae

Researchers exposed zebrafish embryos to a combination of a toxic industrial chemical (PCB126) and nanoplastics and found that the mixture caused more severe developmental problems than either pollutant alone. The nanoplastics appeared to increase the absorption and toxic effects of PCB126, leading to greater heart defects and developmental abnormalities. The study suggests that nanoplastics may worsen the impact of existing chemical pollutants on aquatic life.

2024 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene Nanoplastic Behavior and Toxicity on Crustacean Daphnia magna: Media Composition, Size, and Surface Charge Effects

Researchers examined how size and surface charge of polystyrene nanoplastics (20-100 nm) affected their behavior and toxicity to Daphnia magna in different water media, finding that smaller particles and certain media compositions significantly increased toxicity and aggregation patterns.

2021 Environments 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined effect of polystyrene nanoparticles and chlorpyrifos to Daphnia magna

This study examined the combined effects of polystyrene nanoparticles and chlorpyrifos pesticide on Daphnia magna, a standard aquatic toxicity test organism. The two contaminants together caused greater mortality and reproductive impairment than either alone, suggesting synergistic toxicity.

2024 Chemosphere 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecological fitness impairments induced by chronic exposure to polyvinyl chloride nanospheres in Daphnia magna

Researchers exposed the freshwater organism Daphnia magna to environmentally relevant concentrations of polyvinyl chloride and polystyrene nanoplastics over 21 days. They found that PVC nanoplastics caused greater impairments to growth, reproduction, and overall ecological fitness compared to polystyrene particles of similar size. The study suggests that the chemical composition of nanoplastics, not just their size, plays a significant role in determining their toxicity to aquatic organisms.

2024 Heliyon 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Understanding the biological impact of organic pollutants absorbed by nanoplastics

Researchers assessed the toxicity of diphenylamine (DPA) incorporated into PMMA nanoparticles using barnacle larvae as a model organism, investigating how nanoplastics act as carrier vectors that increase the bioavailability of persistent organic pollutants and enhance biological impacts beyond those of either contaminant alone.

2022 Environmental Pollution 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Adverse effects of polystyrene nanoplastic and its binary mixtures with nonylphenol on zebrafish nervous system: From oxidative stress to impaired neurotransmitter system

Researchers investigated the individual and combined effects of polystyrene nanoplastics and the industrial chemical nonylphenol on the zebrafish nervous system over 45 days. Both substances induced oxidative stress and disrupted neurotransmitter systems, with combined exposure generally producing more severe effects on glutamate metabolism and brain tissue damage. The study suggests that the interaction between nanoplastics and co-occurring environmental pollutants can amplify neurotoxic effects in fish.

2022 Environmental Pollution 52 citations
Article Tier 2

Enhanced neurotoxic effect of PCB-153 when co-exposed with polystyrene nanoplastics in zebrafish larvae

Researchers found that when zebrafish larvae were exposed to both polystyrene nanoplastics and the toxic chemical PCB-153 together, the neurological damage was significantly worse than from either pollutant alone. The combined exposure caused hyperactive swimming behavior and suppressed immune, brain, and detoxification pathways at the genetic level. This is concerning because nanoplastics and persistent organic pollutants frequently co-exist in the environment, meaning their real-world health effects on aquatic life and humans may be greater than studies of single pollutants suggest.

2024 Chemosphere 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Bisphenol A decreases the developmental toxicity and histopathological alterations caused by polystyrene nanoplastics in developing marine medaka Oryzias melastigma

Researchers found that bisphenol A unexpectedly decreased the developmental toxicity and histopathological damage caused by polystyrene nanoplastics in marine medaka embryos, suggesting complex antagonistic interactions between co-existing pollutants at environmentally relevant concentrations.

2023 Chemosphere 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxicological effects of microplastics and heavy metals on the Daphnia magna

Researchers studied how polystyrene microplastics of two sizes adsorb heavy metals and how their combined presence affects the water flea Daphnia magna. They found that smaller microplastics had higher adsorption capacity for metals, and the combined toxicity shifted from antagonistic to additive effects as microplastic concentrations increased. The study reveals that smaller microplastics pose a greater toxicological risk when combined with heavy metals in aquatic environments.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 184 citations
Article Tier 2

Enhanced uptake of BPA in the presence of nanoplastics can lead to neurotoxic effects in adult zebrafish

Researchers found that nanoplastics amplify bisphenol A (BPA) accumulation in zebrafish tissues by 2- to 2.6-fold and that co-exposure enhances neurotoxic effects — including myelin disruption and dopaminergic system changes — beyond what either contaminant causes alone.

2017 The Science of The Total Environment 446 citations