Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Multi-omics characterisation of Daphnia magna exposed to PFAS and microplastics: transcriptome and gut microbiome datasets

Researchers generated a multi-omics dataset from Daphnia magna exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations of PFOS, PFOA, and PET microplastics, integrating gut microbiome 16S rRNA profiling and whole-organism transcriptomes to enable systems-level investigation of host-microbiome interactions under complex contaminant stress.

2025
Article Tier 2

Multi stress system: Microplastics in freshwater and their effects on host microbiota

This study examined how combined exposure to microplastics and organic chemical pollutants affects freshwater organisms through a multi-stress approach, focusing on gut microbiome changes as an indicator. Microplastic exposure in combination with other pollutants altered microbiome composition more than either stressor alone, with potential consequences for host fitness and disease resistance.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Deciphering Gut Microbiome Responses upon Microplastic Exposure via Integrating Metagenomics and Activity-Based Metabolomics

Using advanced metagenomics and metabolomics techniques, researchers studied how polystyrene microplastic exposure affects the gut microbiome in mice. The study found that microplastics disrupted the balance of gut bacteria and altered metabolic pathways related to amino acids and lipids. These findings suggest that microplastic exposure could influence gut health and metabolism, though more research is needed to understand the implications for human health.

2023 Metabolites 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of a chronic waterborne exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics on the gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata): Combining traditional and multi-omics approaches

Researchers exposed gilthead seabream to environmentally relevant and elevated polystyrene nanoplastic concentrations for 28 days, finding no visible tissue damage or blood abnormalities but significant shifts in gut microbiome diversity and dose-dependent changes in plasma metabolites linked to energy metabolism, suggesting subtle long-term risks for aquaculture production.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 1 citations
Article Tier 2

The effects of environmental Microplastic on wharf roach (Ligia exotica): A Multi-Omics approach

Wild wharf roaches collected from a microplastic-contaminated South Korean shoreline had 50 times more plastic particles in their guts than roaches from a cleaner site, and the contaminated animals also carried elevated levels of brominated flame retardants leached from the polystyrene foam they had ingested. Gene expression analysis revealed that the contaminated roaches showed altered immune, metabolic, and stress-response pathways. Because wharf roaches are a key detritus-consuming species in coastal ecosystems, this study demonstrates that microplastic pollution can have cascading biological effects from the base of the food web.

2023 Chemosphere 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Distinctive metabolic disturbances associated with redox homeostasis, nervous and hormonal functions during gut microbial enrichment upon polystyrene microplastic exposure

Researchers tracked gut microbial enrichment, virome shifts, and metabolomic changes in organisms exposed to polystyrene microplastics, finding Eubacteriales-dominated dysbiosis accompanied by colitis. Microplastic exposure activated polyamine synthesis pathways, altered serotonin and thyroxine metabolism, and increased cholesterol-derived hormone synthesis, revealing complex hormonal and neurochemical disruption.

2025 iMetaOmics.
Article Tier 2

Unveiling the impact of short-term polyethylene microplastics exposure on metabolomics and gut microbiota in earthworms (Eudrilus euganiae)

Researchers exposed earthworms to polyethylene microplastics and found significant disruptions in their metabolism and gut bacteria, even when no visible signs of stress were present. The microplastics affected energy and lipid metabolism, anti-inflammatory processes, cell signaling, and membrane integrity. The study suggests that microplastics can cause hidden biological harm to soil organisms well before any outward symptoms appear.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Novel functional insights into the microbiome inhabiting marine plastic debris: critical considerations to counteract the challenges of thin biofilms using multi-omics and comparative metaproteomics

Researchers used advanced multi-omics techniques — simultaneously analyzing the DNA, proteins, and metabolic activity of microbes — to study the complex communities of bacteria and other microorganisms that colonize marine plastic debris (the "plastisphere"). The work reveals new ecological functions of these microbial films beyond plastic breakdown, including potential biotechnology applications and risks from pathogen hitchhiking on ocean plastic.

2024 Microbiome 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Untargeted metabolomic insights into plastisphere communities in European rivers

Researchers used untargeted metabolomics to characterize plastisphere microbial communities colonizing polyethylene-based plastic pellets in European rivers, simulating microplastic transport between freshwater and marine ecosystems to understand how the plastisphere microbiome and its metabolic outputs shift across environmental transitions.

2024 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 1 citations
Article Tier 2

[Accumulation and Clearance of Polystyrene Microplastics in Brine Shrimp and the Responses of Microbiome and Metabolism].

Researchers exposed brine shrimp (Artemia salina) to polystyrene microplastics of different sizes and concentrations under varying nutritional conditions and analyzed microbiome and metabolic responses. Accumulation and clearance were concentration-dependent, while nutritional status modulated MP uptake; combined microbiome and metabolomics analysis revealed disruptions in microbial community composition and metabolic function.

2025 PubMed
Article Tier 2

Toxicological effects of microplastics in Litopenaeus vannamei as indicated by an integrated microbiome, proteomic and metabolomic approach

Shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) exposed to five microplastic types for 14 days showed gut microbiota shifts (increased Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria, decreased Firmicutes) and altered haemolymph proteomes, with each MP type producing distinct immune pathway effects.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 97 citations
Article Tier 2

Macrogenomes reveal microbial-mediated microplastic degradation pathways in the porcine gut: a hope for solving the environmental challenges of microplastics

A metagenomic study of pig gut contents found a diverse community of microorganisms harboring genes capable of breaking down multiple types of microplastics. This raises the intriguing possibility that gut microbiota in food animals may partially degrade ingested microplastics, but it also raises questions about whether breakdown products or altered microbial communities pose risks that pass up the food chain to humans.

2024 Frontiers in Microbiology 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Metabolomic and biochemical disorders reveal the toxicity of environmental microplastics and benzo[a]pyrene in the marine polychaete Hediste diversicolor

This study exposed marine polychaete worms to environmentally realistic concentrations of microplastics and benzo[a]pyrene, a toxic chemical commonly found attached to microplastics. The combination of both pollutants caused more metabolic disruption and biochemical damage than either one alone. Since polychaetes are an important food source for fish, these findings suggest that microplastics carrying toxic chemicals could amplify harm throughout marine food webs.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics induce molecular toxicity in earthworm: Integrated multi-omics, morphological, and intestinal microorganism analyses

Researchers used multi-omics analysis to study how even low concentrations of nanoplastics affect earthworms, important indicators of soil health. They found that nanoplastics accumulated in the earthworms' intestines, damaging their digestive and immune systems and disrupting gut microorganism communities. The study demonstrates that nanoplastics can cause molecular-level harm to soil organisms at concentrations that might be considered environmentally realistic.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 86 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics and phenanthrene on gut microbiome and metabolome alterations in the marine medaka Oryzias melastigma

Researchers exposed marine medaka fish to microplastics combined with phenanthrene, a common organic pollutant, and found that the combination disrupted gut bacteria and metabolism more than either substance alone. Specific gut bacterial communities shifted in response to the combined exposure, leading to changes in important metabolic processes. This study underscores that microplastics in the ocean don't act alone; they interact with other pollutants to amplify harm to aquatic organisms and potentially to the humans who consume seafood.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastics induce gut microbiome and metabolome changes in Javanese medaka fish (Oryzias javanicus Bleeker, 1854)

Researchers found that polystyrene microplastic exposure altered gut microbiome composition and metabolic profiles in Javanese medaka fish, with effects on amino acid and lipid metabolism pathways suggesting microplastics can disrupt gut health in aquatic organisms.

2022 Toxicology Reports 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Unveiling the gut’s plastic predicament: How micro- and nano-plastics drive distinct toxicological pathways in Enchytraeus crypticus

Researchers exposed the soil invertebrate Enchytraeus crypticus to environmentally relevant concentrations of polystyrene microplastics (50 µm) and nanoplastics (100 nm), finding that nanoplastics caused greater gut microenvironment disruption and more severe biotoxicity than microplastics, acting through distinct mechanistic pathways.

2025 Environment International
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene-degrading bacteria in the gut microbiome of marine benthic polychaetes support enhanced digestion of plastic fragments

Researchers found that marine worms called clamworms harbor gut bacteria capable of breaking down polystyrene foam, but this digestion also generates microplastics averaging 0.6 mm in diameter, meaning these worms both degrade and produce microplastics — complicating their role in marine plastic pollution.

2024 Communications Earth & Environment 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Interplay Between Superworm and its Gut Microbiome in Facilitating Polyethylene Biodegradation by Host Transcriptomic Analysis: Insights from Xenobiotic Metabolism

Researchers investigated how superworms (Zophobas morio) and their gut microbiome work together to break down polyethylene plastic, identifying key xenobiotic metabolism pathways and host-microbe interactions that drive biodegradation.

2023 Research Square (Research Square) 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Multi-Omics Approach on the Ecotoxicological Assessment of Microplastics

This review examines the application of multi-omics approaches — including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics — to the ecotoxicological assessment of microplastics in living organisms. The authors synthesize how these integrated molecular tools are advancing understanding of the mechanistic pathways by which microplastics disrupt biological systems, offering a more comprehensive picture than single-endpoint toxicity studies.

2022 Proceedings of the International Conference on Environmental Science and Applications, ICESA ...