Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Effects of individual and combined polystyrene nanoplastics and phenanthrene on the enzymology, physiology, and transcriptome parameters of rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Researchers conducted a hydroponic experiment to evaluate how polystyrene nanoplastics and phenanthrene, individually and in combination, affect rice plants. The study examined effects on enzyme activity, plant physiology, and gene expression over seven days. Evidence indicates that the combination of nanoplastics with organic pollutants can produce different impacts on crop growth compared to either contaminant alone.

2022 Chemosphere 49 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on growth and metabolism of rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Researchers found that polystyrene and polyvinyl chloride microplastics inhibited rice growth and disrupted ionic homeostasis and antioxidant metabolism in a dose-dependent manner, with PVC microplastics causing more severe effects than polystyrene.

2022 Chemosphere 153 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of polystyrene microplastics on uptake and toxicity of phenanthrene in soybean

This study examined how polystyrene microplastics of different sizes affect soybean plants' uptake of the pollutant phenanthrene. Researchers found that microplastics reduced soybean roots' ability to absorb phenanthrene, but micron-sized particles caused more oxidative damage to roots than nano-sized ones, which paradoxically reduced pollutant uptake further. The study highlights that combined exposure to microplastics and organic pollutants can harm crop plants, with the specific effects depending on plastic particle size.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 145 citations
Article Tier 2

Size-dependent effects of polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics on the quality of rice grains and the metabolism mechanism

Researchers found that tiny polystyrene plastic particles (under 100 nanometers) were absorbed by rice roots and traveled up into the grain, reducing protein content by up to 29%. The smallest particles weakened the plant's natural defenses by disrupting sugar metabolism. This means microplastics in soil could be silently lowering the nutritional quality of rice that people eat.

2025 Environmental Pollution 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Understanding the Role of Low-Dose Polystyrene Microplastic in Copper Toxicity to Rice Seed (Oryza sativa L.)

This study explored how polystyrene microplastics interact with copper toxicity in rice seeds. Researchers found that microplastics actually reduced copper's harmful effects by physically accumulating on seed coats and blocking copper absorption, lowering the amount of copper taken up by seedlings by about 34%. The findings highlight how microplastics can alter the way other environmental contaminants affect plants.

2024 Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Molecular mechanisms of toxicity and detoxification in rice (Oryza sativa L.) exposed to polystyrene nanoplastics

Researchers studied how polystyrene nanoplastics affect rice seedlings at the molecular level. They found that nanoplastic exposure significantly reduced root and shoot growth by over 50%, while triggering oxidative stress and activating genes related to both toxicity and defense responses. The study provides new insights into how crop plants respond to nanoplastic contamination at the genetic and physiological level.

2023 Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 37 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastic interaction with Oryza sativa: toxicity and metabolic mechanism

Researchers confirmed for the first time that polystyrene nanoplastics can enter rice plant root cells through a process called endocytosis. This finding provides important new understanding of how microplastic contamination in soil may affect crop plants and potentially enter the food supply.

2021 Environmental Science Nano 109 citations
Article Tier 2

Insights into the accumulation, distribution and toxicity of pyrene associated with microplastics in rice (Oryza sativa L.) seedlings

Rice seedlings were exposed to polyethylene microplastics loaded with C-labeled pyrene to track how a PAH contaminant moves through plants when associated with microplastics. Microplastic-bound pyrene was taken up by roots and translocated to shoots more efficiently than free pyrene, and the combined exposure caused greater oxidative stress than either contaminant alone.

2022 Chemosphere 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene nanoplastics affect seed germination, cell biology and physiology of rice seedlings in-short term treatments: Evidence of their internalization and translocation

Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics were absorbed by rice roots and translocated to shoots, impairing seed germination, seedling growth, and cell division while disrupting reactive oxygen species homeostasis in short-term treatments.

2022 Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 108 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxicological interactions of microplastics/nanoplastics and environmental contaminants: Current knowledge and future perspectives

This review examines how the combined presence of micro- and nanoplastics with other environmental contaminants like heavy metals, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals affects toxicity. Researchers found that plastic particles can alter the bioavailability and toxic effects of co-occurring pollutants, sometimes increasing harm to organisms, which complicates environmental risk assessment.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 501 citations
Article Tier 2

Dynamics of accumulation and multilevel biological effects of various alkyl chain phthalates and microplastics in rye: New insights into individual, physiological, and molecular perspectives

Researchers studied the combined toxicity of three phthalate esters with different alkyl chain lengths and polystyrene microplastics on rye plants, finding that MP presence amplified the phytotoxicity of longer-chain phthalates. The results demonstrate that microplastics can act as carriers that enhance the uptake and toxicity of co-occurring chemical contaminants in crops.

2025 Plant Physiology and Biochemistry
Article Tier 2

The Effects of Polystyrene Microplastics and Copper Ion Co-Contamination on the Growth of Rice Seedlings

Researchers studied how polystyrene microplastics and copper ions interact when both are present in the water supply of rice seedlings. They found that microplastics actually reduced copper toxicity by absorbing the metal ions, but both pollutants weakened the plant's antioxidant defenses. The study suggests that microplastics and heavy metals interact in complex ways in agricultural systems, with implications for crop health and food safety.

2024 Nanomaterials 6 citations
Article Tier 2

A novel mechanism study of microplastic and As co-contamination on indica rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Researchers used pot experiments and computational chemistry to study how polystyrene and polytetrafluoroethylene microplastics affect arsenic uptake in rice plants. They found that both types of microplastics interacted with rice root compounds and influenced how much arsenic the plants absorbed from contaminated soil. The study reveals a previously unknown mechanism by which microplastic pollution in agricultural soils could increase toxic metal accumulation in a major food crop.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 141 citations
Article Tier 2

Fate of nano/microplastics and associated toxic pollutants in paddy ecosystems: Current knowledge and future perspectives

Researchers reviewed how micro- and nanoplastics enter rice paddies through irrigation, mulch films, and atmospheric deposition, then harm soil health and rice plant growth by disrupting nutrient cycles and increasing oxidative stress. Their findings are especially significant because rice feeds more than half the world's population, yet research on plastic contamination in paddy systems remains very limited.

2024 Earth Critical Zone 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Low level of polystyrene microplastics decreases early developmental toxicity of phenanthrene on marine medaka (Oryzias melastigma)

Researchers exposed marine medaka fish eggs to low levels of polystyrene microplastics combined with the pollutant phenanthrene. Surprisingly, they found that a very low concentration of microplastics actually reduced the developmental toxicity of phenanthrene, improving hatch rates and decreasing malformations. The study suggests this protective effect occurs because the microplastics reduce the bioavailability of the chemical pollutant, challenging the assumption that microplastics always worsen the toxicity of co-occurring contaminants.

2019 Journal of Hazardous Materials 144 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of polystyrene nanoplastics with different functional groups on rice (Oryza sativa L.) seedlings: Combined transcriptome, enzymology, and physiology

Researchers exposed rice seedlings to polystyrene nanoplastics with different surface chemistries and found that all types reduced plant growth and photosynthetic ability. The amino-modified (positively charged) nanoplastics caused the most severe damage, reducing shoot growth by over 40% and dry weight by more than 70%. The study revealed that different surface modifications trigger distinct biological responses in the plant, affecting everything from ion transport to protein synthesis.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 90 citations
Article Tier 2

Organosilicon and inorganic silica inhibit polystyrene nanoparticles uptake in rice

Researchers found that both organosilicon and inorganic silica can protect rice cells from polystyrene nanoplastic toxicity by generating negative surface charges and reducing cell wall porosity, thereby blocking nanoparticle uptake.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of nanoplastics and microplastics on toxicity, bioaccumulation, and environmental fate of phenanthrene in fresh water

Researchers studied how nanoplastics and microplastics interact with the toxic pollutant phenanthrene in freshwater, using tiny water fleas as test organisms. They found that nanoplastics increased the toxicity and bioaccumulation of phenanthrene, while larger microplastics actually reduced its harmful effects. The study suggests that the size of plastic particles plays a critical role in determining whether they make co-occurring pollutants more or less dangerous to aquatic life.

2016 Environmental Pollution 601 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of Polystyrene Microplastics on Rice Seed Germination and Antioxidant Enzyme Activity

Researchers tested how different concentrations of polystyrene microplastics affect rice seed germination, root growth, and antioxidant enzyme activity. They found that at higher concentrations, the microplastics inhibited root growth and triggered oxidative stress responses in the seedlings. The study indicates that microplastic contamination in agricultural soils could interfere with early crop development, potentially affecting food production.

2021 Toxics 157 citations
Article Tier 2

The joint toxicity of polyethylene microplastic and phenanthrene to wheat seedlings

Researchers studied the individual and combined effects of polyethylene microplastics and the pollutant phenanthrene on wheat seedlings grown in soil. They found that microplastics alone caused dose-dependent reductions in plant growth and damaged the photosynthetic system, while the combination with phenanthrene worsened the damage. The study suggests that the co-occurrence of microplastics and organic pollutants in agricultural soils may create compounding negative effects on crop growth.

2021 Chemosphere 161 citations