Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

The combined toxic effects of polyvinyl chloride microplastics and di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate on the juvenile zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Researchers studied the combined toxic effects of PVC microplastics and the plasticizer DEHP on zebrafish embryos and larvae. While PVC alone slowed hatching and increased death rates, the combination of PVC and DEHP actually showed some antagonistic effects, reducing certain types of damage compared to individual exposures. The study provides insight into how microplastics and their associated chemicals may interact in complex ways when organisms are exposed to them together in natural waters.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 95 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxic effects of polystyrene and polyethylene microplastics on the zebrafish cardiovascular system and their differential mechanisms

Researchers compared the cardiovascular toxicity of polystyrene and polyethylene microplastics in zebrafish larvae, examining effects on heart development, oxidative stress, and cell death. Both types of microplastics caused cardiovascular damage, but they operated through different molecular mechanisms, with polystyrene primarily triggering oxidative stress while polyethylene more strongly induced cell death pathways. The findings indicate that the chemical composition of microplastics matters significantly when assessing their health effects.

2025 Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part C Toxicology & Pharmacology 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Co-exposure to microplastic and plastic additives causes development impairment in zebrafish embryos

When zebrafish embryos were exposed to mixtures of polystyrene microplastics combined with common plastic additives (BPS and a phthalate), the combination was far more toxic than any single chemical alone. Even at individually non-toxic doses, the mixtures caused significant developmental abnormalities, oxidative stress, and disrupted thyroid hormone genes. This highlights that real-world exposure to microplastics plus their chemical additives may be more dangerous than studies of individual plastics suggest.

2024 Aquatic Toxicology 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined toxicity of microplastics and cadmium on the zebrafish embryos (Danio rerio)

Researchers exposed zebrafish embryos to polystyrene microplastics combined with cadmium to assess their combined toxic effects on aquatic organisms. The study found that co-exposure produced greater negative impacts on survival and heart rate than either pollutant alone, with toxicity increasing in a concentration-dependent manner.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 160 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastics enhance microcystin-LR-induced cardiovascular toxicity and oxidative stress in zebrafish embryos

Zebrafish embryos exposed to both microplastics and microcystin-LR (a toxin produced by algal blooms) developed significantly worse heart and blood vessel damage than those exposed to the toxin alone. The microplastics amplified oxidative stress and cell death, suggesting that in polluted waterways where both contaminants coexist, the combined health risks may be greater than either one individually.

2024 Environmental Pollution 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Developmental toxicity and potential mechanisms exposed to polystyrene microplastics and polybrominated diphenyl ethers during early life stages of fat greenling (Hexagrammos otakii)

This study exposed developing fat greenling fish to polystyrene microplastics combined with a flame retardant chemical (BDE-47) and found that the microplastics increased the toxic effects of the chemical. The combined exposure caused greater developmental abnormalities, heart problems, and gene disruption than either pollutant alone. This is important because microplastics in the ocean commonly carry flame retardants and other industrial chemicals, potentially amplifying their harm to marine life and the seafood humans consume.

2024 Aquatic Toxicology 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Co-Exposure of Microplastics and Avermectin at Environmental-Related Concentrations Caused Severe Heart Damage Through ROS-Mediated MAPK Signaling in Larval and Adult Zebrafish

Researchers co-exposed zebrafish larvae and adults to polystyrene microplastics and the agricultural pesticide avermectin and assessed cardiac toxicity. Combined exposure caused more severe heart damage than either substance alone, mediated through reactive oxygen species and MAPK signaling, with large microplastics intensifying the cardiotoxic effect of avermectin.

2025 Toxics
Article Tier 2

Combined effects of polystyrene microplastics and cadmium on oxidative stress, apoptosis, and GH/IGF axis in zebrafish early life stages

Researchers exposed zebrafish embryos to polystyrene microplastics and cadmium, both alone and together, and found that the combination caused significantly worse effects than either pollutant individually. Co-exposure amplified oxidative stress, increased cell death in the spine and esophagus, and disrupted growth hormone pathways more severely than single exposures. The findings suggest that microplastics and heavy metals in waterways may interact to create heightened risks for developing fish.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 100 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined Toxicities of Di-Butyl Phthalate and Polyethylene Terephthalate to Zebrafish Embryos

Researchers exposed zebrafish embryos to polyethylene terephthalate microplastics and the plasticizer di-butyl phthalate, both alone and in combination. While the microplastics alone mainly delayed hatching, the plasticizer caused severe developmental abnormalities and death. The study found that the microplastics actually reduced the toxicity of the plasticizer by adsorbing it, though they also slowed its breakdown, creating a more persistent exposure risk.

2023 Toxics 17 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

Synergistic neurotoxicity of polystyrene nanoparticles and MEHP in zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Researchers exposed zebrafish to polystyrene nanoparticles and MEHP (a phthalate plasticizer breakdown product) individually and in combination, finding synergistic neurotoxicity in co-exposed larvae driven by oxidative stress that disrupted glycerophospholipid metabolism and cholinergic neurotransmitter synthesis — with combined exposure amplifying bioaccumulation and embryonic cell death beyond what either pollutant caused alone.

2025 Environmental Pollution 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Metabolic Consequences of Developmental Exposure to Polystyrene Nanoplastics, the Flame Retardant BDE-47 and Their Combination in Zebrafish

Researchers examined how developmental exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics and the flame retardant BDE-47, alone and combined, affects zebrafish metabolism, finding that co-exposure produced distinct metabolic disruptions beyond those caused by either contaminant individually.

2022 Frontiers in Pharmacology 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined ecotoxicity of polystyrene microplastics and Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate increase exposure risks to Mytilus coruscus based on the bioaccumulation, oxidative stress, metabolic profiles, and nutritional interferences

Researchers exposed hard-shelled mussels to a common plastic additive (DEHP) and polystyrene microplastics together, and found that the microplastics increased how much DEHP accumulated in the animals' digestive organs. The combined exposure disrupted the mussels' antioxidant defenses and altered their metabolic processes more than either pollutant alone. The study suggests that microplastics can amplify the harmful effects of chemical pollutants in marine organisms.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 6 citations
Article Tier 2

New insight into long-term effects of phthalates microplastics in developing zebrafish: Evidence from genomic alteration and organ development

Researchers investigated the long-term developmental effects of three common plasticizers (DBP, DEP, and DEHP) leaching from microplastics on zebrafish larvae. The study found that phthalate exposure caused higher mortality, morphological abnormalities, and significant changes in genes related to cardiovascular development, tail formation, and other critical developmental pathways.

2023 Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxic effects of polystyrene nanoplastics and polybrominated diphenyl ethers to zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Researchers investigated the individual and combined toxic effects of polystyrene nanoplastics and the flame retardant BDE-47 on zebrafish embryos. They found that co-exposure worsened developmental deformities including pericardial and yolk sac edema, and disrupted gene expression related to detoxification and antioxidant defense. The study suggests that nanoplastics can act as carriers for persistent organic pollutants, amplifying their harmful effects on aquatic organisms.

2022 Fish & Shellfish Immunology 55 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene nanoplastics exert cardiotoxicity through the Notch and Wnt pathways in zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Researchers exposed zebrafish embryos to polystyrene nanoplastics and found dose-dependent cardiac developmental defects linked to disruption of the Notch and Wnt signaling pathways — key regulators of heart development — alongside oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum stress, and reduced mitochondrial activity.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined toxicity of polystyrene microplastics and sulfamethoxazole on zebrafish embryos

Researchers investigated the combined toxicity of polystyrene microplastics and the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole on zebrafish embryos. They found that co-exposure caused significant mortality, malformations, reduced movement, increased heartbeat rates, and endocrine disruption including elevated vitellogenin and hormone levels. While the two pollutants showed antagonistic rather than synergistic interactions, their combined effects were still substantial, highlighting the importance of studying microplastic-pollutant mixtures in aquatic environments.

2021 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 56 citations
Article Tier 2

Neuro- and hepato-toxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics and polybrominated diphenyl ethers on early life stages of zebrafish

Researchers examined the combined toxic effects of polystyrene nanoplastics and the flame retardant BDE-47 on zebrafish embryos, focusing on neurological and liver impacts. The study found that co-exposure produced larger particle aggregates that adhered to embryo surfaces, and the combination altered gene expression related to neurodevelopment and liver function more severely than individual exposures.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 54 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics enhance the developmental toxicity of synthetic phenolic antioxidants by disturbing the thyroid function and metabolism in developing zebrafish

Researchers studied how polystyrene microplastics affect the toxicity of BHA, a synthetic antioxidant commonly used in plastics, on developing zebrafish. The study found that co-exposure to microplastics and BHA enhanced developmental toxicity by disrupting thyroid function and metabolism, suggesting that microplastics can amplify the harmful effects of their own chemical additives on aquatic organisms.

2020 Environment International 202 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastics modulate the toxic effects of bisphenol A in the early stages of zebrafish development

This study investigated whether polystyrene microplastics affect the toxicity of bisphenol A (BPA) during zebrafish embryo development by co-exposing fish to both contaminants. The PS microplastics modulated BPA toxicity in complex ways—in some developmental endpoints amplifying harm, in others providing partial protection—underscoring the unpredictability of combined plastic-chemical exposures.

2025 Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology
Article Tier 2

Toxicity of polyethylene terephthalate microplastics and dimethyl phthalate in male Sprague-Dawley rats: Insights into oxidative stress, DNA damage, and histopathological impacts

Researchers exposed male rats to polyethylene terephthalate microplastics and dimethyl phthalate, a common plasticizer, both individually and in combination over 28 days. The co-exposure group showed significantly elevated markers of oxidative DNA damage, severe liver tissue degeneration, and liver enlargement compared to controls. The study highlights the potential for synergistic health effects when microplastics and their associated chemical additives are encountered together.

2025 Chemosphere 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Developmental toxicity of carboxylated microplastics in zebrafish mediated by mitochondrial dysfunction and inflammatory activation

Researchers exposed zebrafish larvae to carboxylated polystyrene microplastics at environmentally relevant concentrations (0.1–100 μg/L) and found dose-dependent developmental defects including reduced tail coiling and slowed heart rate, linked to mitochondrial dysfunction and inflammatory activation.

2025 Environmental Pollution
Article Tier 2

Adverse effects polystyrene microplastics exert on zebrafish heart – Molecular to individual level

Researchers fed zebrafish microplastic-enriched food for 21 days and found significant damage to heart function, including reduced contraction strength and frequency, along with decreased swimming ability. At the cellular level, the fish showed increased oxidative stress, DNA damage, and disrupted energy metabolism in heart tissue. The study provides evidence that microplastic exposure can affect cardiovascular health in fish from the molecular level up to whole-organism fitness.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 142 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxic interactions between fluoxetine and microplastics in zebrafish embryonic development

Researchers studied the combined toxic effects of the antidepressant fluoxetine and microplastics on zebrafish embryos at concentrations found in the environment. They found that the mixture caused more severe harm than either substance alone, including pericardial swelling, spinal deformities, delayed hatching, and increased mortality. The study suggests that microplastics and pharmaceutical pollutants may interact in waterways to create compounding threats to developing fish.

2025 The Science of The Total Environment 4 citations