Papers

61,005 results
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Meta Analysis Tier 1

Meta-analysis reveals the combined effects of microplastics and heavy metal on plants

A meta-analysis of 57 studies found that the combined toxicity of microplastics and heavy metals on plants is driven primarily by the heavy metals, while microplastics mainly interact by inducing oxidative stress damage. Microplastic biodegradation emerged as a core factor influencing heavy metal accumulation in plants, with culture environment, heavy metal type, exposure duration, and microplastic concentration and size all playing roles.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 51 citations
Article Tier 2

Morphological, physiological, and molecular responses of Perilla frutescens to copper stress alleviated by PVC microplastics

Researchers discovered that low concentrations of PVC microplastics can actually reduce the harmful effects of copper on perilla plants, an important crop. The microplastics appeared to help by improving cell membrane function, suppressing stress hormones, and adjusting fat metabolism pathways. While this does not mean microplastics are beneficial overall, the study reveals surprisingly complex interactions between plastic pollution and heavy metals in agricultural environments.

2025 Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of Biotic/Abiotic Stress Factors on Plant Specialized Metabolites

Not relevant to microplastics — this paper appears to examine how biotic and abiotic stress factors influence specialized metabolite production in plants; the available abstract is incomplete but contains no indication of microplastic relevance.

2024 International Journal of Molecular Sciences 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Polypropylene Microplastics Bidirectionally Modulate Copper Toxicity in Jasminum sambac by Rewiring Glutathione and Porphyrin‐Photosynthetic Networks

Researchers exposed jasmine plants to copper-spiked soil with varying levels of polypropylene microplastics and observed a non-linear, dose-dependent effect on copper toxicity. At intermediate microplastic levels, the plants showed reduced copper uptake and improved photosynthesis through coordinated adjustments in antioxidant and chlorophyll pathways. However, at higher microplastic concentrations, this protective effect disappeared as antioxidant defenses collapsed, suggesting microplastics can both buffer and worsen metal toxicity in soils depending on the dose.

2026 Plant Cell & Environment
Article Tier 2

Employing Phytoremediation Methods to Extract Heavy Metals from Polluted Soils

This paper is not directly about microplastics in the typical environmental exposure sense; it studies phytoremediation — using the Dodonaea plant to absorb heavy metals (zinc, nickel, cadmium) from contaminated soil — with no connection to plastic or microplastic pollution.

2024 Ecological Engineering & Environmental Technology 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Detoxifying the heavy metals: a multipronged study of tolerance strategies against heavy metals toxicity in plants

This review looks at how plants deal with toxic heavy metals in their environment, covering strategies like blocking metal uptake, storing metals in safe compartments, and using special proteins to neutralize damage. While not directly about microplastics, it is relevant because microplastics can carry heavy metals into soil, making plant exposure worse. Understanding these plant defense mechanisms could help develop crops that are more resilient to contaminated environments.

2023 Frontiers in Plant Science 109 citations
Article Tier 2

Polyploidy affects responses to Nickel in Ni-hyperaccumulating plants: Evidence from the model species Odontarrhena bertolonii (Brassicaceae)

This paper is not about microplastics; it studies whether polyploid plants (those with extra chromosome sets) accumulate more nickel than diploid plants when grown in metal-contaminated soils, with applications in phytoremediation.

2023 Environmental and Experimental Botany 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics as emerging stressors in plants: biochemical and metabolic responses

This review examines how microplastics act as environmental stressors in plants, disrupting biochemical and metabolic processes including photosynthesis, antioxidant defenses, and nutrient uptake, with effects varying by polymer type, particle size, and concentration.

2025 Environmental Geochemistry and Health
Article Tier 2

Microbial synergies in phytoremediation: A comprehensive review

Not relevant to microplastics — this is a review of how soil microorganisms (bacteria, fungi) assist plants in removing pollutants like heavy metals and hydrocarbons through phytoremediation; while the study addresses environmental contamination broadly, it does not examine microplastic pollution or its effects.

2026 International Journal of Advanced Biochemistry Research
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics and heavy metal stress on the growth and physiological characteristics of pioneer plant Avicennia marina

Researchers studied how mangrove plants respond to combined pollution from microplastics and heavy metals at levels found in the environment. The combination caused more oxidative stress and growth problems than either pollutant alone, disrupting the plants' defense systems. Since mangroves protect coastlines and filter water for coastal communities, damage to these ecosystems from microplastic-heavy metal pollution could have indirect effects on human well-being.

2025 Marine Pollution Bulletin 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Environmental microplastic interact with heavy metal in polluted soil from mine site in the North of Tunisia: Effects on heavy metal accumulation, growth, photosynthetic activities, and biochemical responses of alfalfa plants (Medicago saliva L.)

This study tested how microplastics interact with heavy metals in contaminated mine soil and affect alfalfa plant growth in Tunisia. Adding microplastics to polluted soil increased the amount of heavy metals absorbed by the plants and triggered oxidative stress, causing more damage than either pollutant alone. This is concerning for human health because crops grown in microplastic-contaminated soil near mining areas may accumulate higher levels of toxic metals.

2024 Chemosphere 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Nutrient Metabolism Pathways Analysis and Key Candidate Genes Identification Corresponding to Cadmium Stress in Buckwheat through Multiomics Analysis

This study used transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis to investigate how buckwheat responds to cadmium stress at the molecular level, identifying key metabolic pathways affected by the heavy metal. It is not about microplastics and is not relevant to microplastic research.

2023 Genes 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Understanding the possible cellular responses in plants under micro(nano)-plastic (MNPs): Balancing the structural harmony with functions.

This review summarizes current understanding of how micro- and nano-plastics affect plant physiology, covering uptake pathways, effects on cell walls and chloroplasts, and responses to oxidative stress. The findings highlight that plants are exposed to and affected by microplastics through both soil and aerial routes.

2024 The Science of the total environment
Article Tier 2

Assessing stress responses in potherb mustard (Brassica juncea var. multiceps) exposed to a synergy of microplastics and cadmium: Insights from physiology, oxidative damage, and metabolomics

Researchers found that microplastics in soil increased the amount of cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, that mustard green plants absorbed, while also reducing crop yields and photosynthesis. Higher concentrations of microplastics made more cadmium available in the soil, leading to greater accumulation of the metal in the plants. This raises food safety concerns because vegetables grown in microplastic-contaminated soil could contain higher levels of toxic metals that are harmful to human health.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 59 citations
Article Tier 2

The effects of Micro/Nano-plastics exposure on plants and their toxic mechanisms: A review from multi-omics perspectives.

A multi-omics review of micro/nanoplastic effects on plants found that plastic exposure disrupts gene expression, protein function, and metabolic pathways across multiple plant systems, with potential consequences for crop yield and agricultural food safety.

2024 Journal of hazardous materials
Article Tier 2

Effects of Cadmium Stress on Carbon Sequestration and Oxygen Release Characteristics in A Landscaping Hyperaccumulator—Lonicera japonica Thunb.

This study examines how cadmium stress affects the growth, photosynthesis, and carbon sequestration capacity of the landscape plant Lonicera japonica. It is not about microplastics and is not relevant to microplastic research.

2023 Plants 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Mechanistic understanding on the uptake of micro-nano plastics by plants and its phytoremediation.

This review summarized the mechanisms by which micro-nano plastics are taken up by plants through roots and leaves, and evaluated the potential for phytoremediation as a strategy to reduce plastic contamination in soil, identifying key plant species and genetic factors that influence uptake.

2024 Environmental science and pollution research international
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Effects of the co-exposure of microplastic/nanoplastic and heavy metal on plants: Using CiteSpace, meta-analysis, and machine learning

This meta-analysis found that co-exposure to micro/nanoplastics and heavy metals produces stronger toxic effects on plants than heavy metal exposure alone, with toxicity increasing at higher concentrations, longer durations, and with nanoparticles. Notably, polyolefin plastics partially reduced plant toxicity from heavy metals, while modified polystyrene and biodegradable polymers worsened it.

2024 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Integrated physiological, transcriptomic, and metabolic analysis reveals the effects of nanoplastics exposure on tea plants

Researchers used physiological, transcriptomic, and metabolic analysis to assess the effects of nano/microplastics on tea plants, finding impaired photosynthesis, oxidative stress, and disrupted metabolic pathways at environmentally relevant concentrations. The study highlights risks to tea crop safety and quality from plastic pollution in agricultural soils.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Article Tier 2

Micro (nano) plastics uptake, toxicity and detoxification in plants: Challenges and prospects

This review examines how micro and nanoplastics are taken up by plants, covering their toxic effects on growth and gene expression as well as potential detoxification strategies. Smaller nanoplastics can penetrate plant cell walls and accumulate in tissues, causing oxidative stress and genetic damage. The findings are important for human health because contaminated crops could transfer microplastics directly into the food supply.

2023 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 39 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of Different Trace Elements on Ecophysiological Characteristics of Ligustrum obtusifolium Saplings

Not relevant to microplastics — this pot experiment study examines how cadmium, chromium, lead, and zinc affect the growth and physiology of Ligustrum obtusifolium shrubs as candidates for phytoremediation.

2023 Forests 7 citations
Review Tier 2

Phytoremediation of Co-Contaminated Environments: A Review of Microplastic and Heavy Metal/Organic Pollutant Interactions and Plant-Based Removal Approaches

This review examined how microplastics interact with heavy metals and organic pollutants in soil and how plants can be used to clean up these mixed contamination scenarios. Researchers found that microplastics can either increase or decrease the toxicity of co-pollutants depending on their chemical properties, and emerging approaches like genetically modified plants and microbial partnerships show promise for improving cleanup efforts.

2025 Soil Systems 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene-nickel interactions in soil: Implications for metal mobility, plant uptake, and human health

Researchers grew medicinal plants (Capsella bursa-pastoris) in soil contaminated with polystyrene microplastics and nickel and found that microplastics increased nickel mobility and bioavailability by shifting metal speciation toward more extractable soil fractions, raising human health risks through plant uptake.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Article Tier 2

POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL MICROPLASTICS ON PHYTOREMEDIATION OF Cu, Mn and Sr  FROM SERBIAN URBAN SOILS

Researchers investigated the prevalence of microplastics in soils from four Serbian cities and evaluated how microplastic contamination affects the uptake of copper, manganese, and strontium by the bioindicator plant Capsella bursa-pastoris, assessing implications for phytoremediation of urban contaminated soils.

2025 Metallurgical & Materials Engineering Congress of South-East Europe