ArticleAquatic toxicology (Amsterdam, Netherlands)2018
Uptake, tissue distribution, and toxicity of polystyrene nanoparticles in developing zebrafish (Danio rerio).
Article in Aquatic toxicology (Amsterdam, Netherlands), 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 120 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
120 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 618 citations in OpenAlex.
- From pollution to palpitations: the heart's silent battle with microplastics.BMC cardiovascular disorders · 2025Pooled it
- A systematic review of the effects of nanoplastics on fish.Frontiers in toxicology · 2025Pooled it
- A Meta-analysis of Ecotoxicological Hazard Data for Nanoplastics in Marine and Freshwater Systems.Environmental toxicology and chemistry · 2020Pooled it
- Size-dependent plastic exposure disrupts macrophage function and tissue-specific metabolism.Nature metabolism · 2026Article
- Nanotechnology-Based Immunostimulants in Aquaculture: Mechanisms, Advances and Practical Applications.Veterinary medicine and science · 2026Review
- Microbial Inoculant-Driven Degradation of Microplastics Associated With Garbage Environment and Assessment of Degradation Product Toxicity.Biotechnology and bioengineering · 2026Article
- Review
- Toxicity of the Covalent Organic Framework Material TpPa to Zebrafish.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026Article
- Occurrence and Characterization of Microplastics in Gilthead Seabream (Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Microplastics as Vectors Influencing Oxidative Stress, Inflammation, and Endocrine Function During Early Development.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Co-exposure to Hexavalent Chromium and Polyamide Microplastics Alters Growth, Hematology, Histopathology of Tissues and Immune Genes Expression in Striped Catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus).Biological trace element research · 2026Article
- Review
- Gut microbiota-GABA axis dysregulation underlies polystyrene microplastic (PS-MP) neurotoxicity in rainbow trout: a role for oxidative stress and blood-brain barrier disruption.NPJ biofilms and microbiomes · 2026Article
- Polystyrene microplastic-induced pathophysiology is driven by disruption of efferocytosis.Immunity · 2026Article
- Article
- Transcriptome and Gene Family Analyses Reveal the Physiological and Immune Regulatory Mechanisms ofAntioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Article
- Fluorescent nanoplastics: What steps are needed towards a representative toolkit?Microplastics and nanoplastics · 2026Review
- Micro/nanoplastics pollution: emerging challenges for aquatic animals and food crops.Frontiers in toxicology · 2026Review
- Nanoplastics amplify 6PPD ocular toxicity in zebrafish.Environmental science and ecotechnology · 2026Article
60 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Plastic pollution is a critical environmental concern and comprises the majority of anthropogenic debris in the ocean, including macro, micro, and likely nanoscale (less than 100nm in at least one dimension) plastic particles. While the toxicity of macroplastics and microplastics is relatively well studied, the toxicity of nanoplastics is largely uncharacterized. Here, fluorescent polystyrene nanoparticles (PS NPs) were used to investigate the potential toxicity of nanoplastics in developing zebrafish (Danio rerio), as well as to characterize the uptake and distribution of the particles within embryos and larvae. Zebrafish embryos at 6h post-fertilization (hpf) were exposed to PS NPs (0.1, 1, or 10ppm) until 120 hpf. Our results demonstrate that PS NPs accumulated in the yolk sac as early as 24 hpf and migrated to the gastrointestinal tract, gallbladder, liver, pancreas, heart, and brain throughout development (48-120 hpf). Accumulation of PS NPs decreased during the depuration phase (120-168 hpf) in all organs, but at a slower rate in the pancreas and gastrointestinal tract. Notably, exposure to PS NPs did not induce significant mortality, deformities, or changes to mitochondrial bioenergetics, but did decrease the heart rate. Lastly, exposure to PS NPs altered larval behavior as evidenced by swimming hypoactivity in exposed larvae. Taken together, these data suggest that at least some nanoplastics can penetrate the chorion of developing zebrafish, accumulate in the tissues, and affect physiology and behavior, potentially affecting organismal fitness in contaminated aquatic ecosystems.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.