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Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology Volume 246 pp 133–158Cite as

Distribution of Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Aquatic Ecosystems and Their Impacts on Aquatic Organisms, with Emphasis on Microalgae

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Part of the book series: Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology ((RECT,volume 246))

Abstract

Plastics, with their many useful physical and chemical properties, are widely used in various industries and activities of daily living. Yet, the insidious effects of plastics, particularly long-term effects on aquatic organisms, are not properly understood. Plastics have been shown to degrade to micro- and nanosize particles known as microplastics and nanoplastics, respectively. These minute particles have been shown to cause various adverse effects on aquatic organisms, ranging from growth inhibition, developmental delay and altered feeding behaviour in aquatic animals to decrease of photosynthetic efficiency and induction of oxidative stress in microalgae. This review paper covers the distribution of microplastics and nanoplastics in aquatic ecosystems, focusing on their effects on microalgae as well as co-toxicity of microplastics and nanoplastics with other pollutants. Besides that, this review paper also discusses future research directions which could be taken to gain a better understanding of the impacts of microplastics and nanoplastics on aquatic ecosystems.

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Abbreviations

AChE:

Acetylcholinesterase

Chl-a:

Chlorophyll-a

CO2:

Carbon dioxide

DW:

Dry weight

FTIR:

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

GPx:

Glutathione peroxidase

GR:

Glutathione reductase

GST:

Glutathione S-transferases

HDPE:

High-density polyethylene

MAPK:

Mitogen-activated protein kinase

MP:

Microplastics

NP:

Nanoplastics

PC:

Polycarbonate

PE:

Polyethylene

PET:

Poly(ethylene terephthalate)

PLA:

Poly(lactic acid)

PMMA:

Poly(methyl methacrylate)

PP:

Polypropylene

PS:

Polystyrene

PS-PEI:

Polyethyleneimine polystyrene

PU:

Polyurethane

PVC:

Poly(vinyl chloride)

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

SOD:

Superoxide dismutase

WW:

Wet weight

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the internal grant (Grant No. IMU 377/2017) from the International Medical University in supporting the research project on the effects of MP and NP on microalgae.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Postgraduate Studies, International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Jun-Kit Wan & Wan-Loy Chu

  2. Applied Biomedical Science and Biotechnology Division, School of Health Sciences, International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Yih-Yih Kok

  3. Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Choy-Sin Lee

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  1. Jun-Kit Wan
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  2. Wan-Loy Chu
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  3. Yih-Yih Kok
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Correspondence to Jun-Kit Wan .

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  1. Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Pim de Voogt

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Wan, JK., Chu, WL., Kok, YY., Lee, CS. (2018). Distribution of Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Aquatic Ecosystems and Their Impacts on Aquatic Organisms, with Emphasis on Microalgae. In: de Voogt, P. (eds) Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology Volume 246. Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, vol 246. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/398_2018_14

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