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Ibrahim SS, Ionescu D, Grossart HP. Tapping into fungal potential: Biodegradation of plastic and rubber by potent Fungi. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 934:173188. [PMID: 38740197 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2024] [Revised: 05/10/2024] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
Plastic polymers are present in most aspects of routine daily life. Their increasing leakage into the environment poses a threat to environmental, animal, and human health. These polymers are often resistant to microbial degradation and are predicted to remain in the environment for tens to hundreds of years. Fungi have been shown to degrade complex polymers and are considered good candidates for bioremediation (biological pollutant reduction) of plastics. Therefore, we screened 18 selected fungal strains for their ability to degrade polyurethane (PU), polyethylene (PE), and tire rubber. As a proxy for plastic polymer mineralization, we quantified O2 consumption and CO2 production in an enclosed biodegradation system providing plastic as the sole carbon source. In contrast to most studies we demonstrated that the tested fungi attach to, and colonize the different plastic polymers without any pretreatment of the plastics and in the absence of sugars, which were suggested essential for priming the degradation process. Functional polymer groups identified by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and changes in fungal morphology as seen in light and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used as indicators of fungal adaptation to growth on PU as a substrate. Thereby, SEM analysis revealed new morphological structures and deformation of the cell wall of several fungal strains when colonizing PU and utilizing this plastic polymer for cell growth. Strains of Fusarium, Penicillium, Botryotinia cinerea EN41, and Trichoderma demonstrated a high potential to degrade PU, rubber, and PE. Growing on PU, over 90 % of the O2 was consumed in <14 days with 300-500 ppm of CO2 generated in parallel. Our study highlights a high bioremediation potential of some fungal strains to efficiently degrade plastic polymers, largely dependent on plastic type.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabreen S Ibrahim
- Department of Plankton and Microbial Ecology, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Stechlin 16775, Germany; Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, Potsdam University, Potsdam 14469, Germany
| | - Danny Ionescu
- Department of Plankton and Microbial Ecology, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Stechlin 16775, Germany
| | - Hans-Peter Grossart
- Department of Plankton and Microbial Ecology, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Stechlin 16775, Germany; Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, Potsdam University, Potsdam 14469, Germany.
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Viel T, Cocca M, Esposito R, Amato A, Russo T, Di Cosmo A, Polese G, Manfra L, Libralato G, Zupo V, Costantini M. Effect of biodegradable polymers upon grazing activity of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus (Lmk) revealed by morphological, histological and molecular analyses. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 929:172586. [PMID: 38657802 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2023] [Revised: 03/28/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
In the last years biodegradable polymers (BPs) were largely used as real opportunity to solve plastic pollution. Otherwise, their wide use in commercial products, such as packaging sector, is causing a new pollution alarm, mainly because few data reported about their behaviour in the environment and toxicity on marine organisms. Our previous results showed that embryos of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus (Lmk) exposed to poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL), poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) and poly(lactic acid) (PLA) showed delay of their development and morphological malformations, also affecting at the molecular levels the expression of several genes involved in different functional responses. In the present work for the first time, we tested the effects of five microplastics (MPs) obtained from BPs such as PBS, poly(butylene succinate), PBSA, poly(butylene succinate-co-butylene adipate), PCL, PHB and PLA, upon grazing activity of the sea urchin revealed by: i. histological analysis seeing at the gonadic tissues; ii. morphological analysis of the deriving embryos; iii. molecular analyses on these embryos to detect variations of the gene expression of eighty-seven genes involved in stress response, detoxification, skeletogenesis, differentiation and development. All these results will help in understanding how MP accumulated inside various organs in the adult sea urchins, and more in general in marine invertebrates, could represent risks for the marine environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Viel
- Department of Ecosustainable Marine Biotechnology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Napoli, Italy; Institute for Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials, National Research Council of Italy, Via Campi Flegri, 34, 80078 Pozzuoli, Napoli, Italy; Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cinthia 26, 80126 Napoli, Italy
| | - Mariacristina Cocca
- Institute for Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials, National Research Council of Italy, Via Campi Flegri, 34, 80078 Pozzuoli, Napoli, Italy
| | - Roberta Esposito
- Department of Ecosustainable Marine Biotechnology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Napoli, Italy
| | - Amalia Amato
- Department of Ecosustainable Marine Biotechnology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Napoli, Italy; Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cinthia 26, 80126 Napoli, Italy
| | - Tania Russo
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cinthia 26, 80126 Napoli, Italy
| | - Anna Di Cosmo
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cinthia 26, 80126 Napoli, Italy
| | - Gianluca Polese
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cinthia 26, 80126 Napoli, Italy
| | - Loredana Manfra
- Department of Ecosustainable Marine Biotechnology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Napoli, Italy; Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), Via Vitaliano Brancati 48, 00144 Rome, Italy
| | - Giovanni Libralato
- Department of Ecosustainable Marine Biotechnology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Napoli, Italy; Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cinthia 26, 80126 Napoli, Italy
| | - Valerio Zupo
- Stazione Zoologica, Sustainable Biotechnology Department. Ischia Marine Centre, Via Buonocore, Ischia, NA, Italy
| | - Maria Costantini
- Department of Ecosustainable Marine Biotechnology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Napoli, Italy.
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Ali W, Jeong H, Tisné ML, Favrelle-Huret A, Thielemans W, Zinck P, Souissi S, Lee JS. The comparative toxicity of biobased, modified biobased, biodegradable, and petrochemical-based microplastics on the brackish water flea Diaphanosoma celebensis. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 944:173747. [PMID: 38838999 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2024] [Revised: 05/26/2024] [Accepted: 06/02/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024]
Abstract
The escalating production and improper disposal of petrochemical-based plastics have led to a global pollution issue with microplastics (MPs), which pose a significant ecological threat. Biobased and biodegradable plastics are believed to mitigate plastic pollution. However, their environmental fate and toxicity remain poorly understood. This study compares the in vivo effects of different types of MPs, poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) as a biodegradable plastic, polylactic acid (PLA) as a biobased plastic, β-cyclodextrin-grafted PLA as a modified biobased plastic, and low density polyethylene as the reference petrochemical-based plastic, on the key aquatic primary consumer Diaphanosoma celebensis. Exposure to MPs resulted in significant reproductive decline, with comparable effects observed irrespective of MP type or concentration. Exposure to MPs induced distinct responses in redox stress, with transcriptional profiling revealing differential gene expression patterns that indicate varied cellular responses to different types of MPs. ATP-binding cassette transporter activity assays demonstrated altered efflux activity, mainly in response to modified biobased and biodegradable MPs. Overall, this study highlights the comparable in vivo and in vitro effects of biobased, biodegradable, and petrochemical-based MPs on aquatic primary consumers, highlighting their potential ecological implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wajid Ali
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Centrale Lille, Univ. Artois, UMR 8181 - UCCS - Unité de Catalyse et Chimie du Solide, F-59000 Lille, France; Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, IRD, UMR-8187-LOG, Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, Station Marine de Wimereux, F-59000 Lille, France
| | - Haksoo Jeong
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, South Korea
| | - Michaël Lalanne Tisné
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Centrale Lille, Univ. Artois, UMR 8181 - UCCS - Unité de Catalyse et Chimie du Solide, F-59000 Lille, France; Sustainable Materials Lab, Department of Chemical Engineering, KU Leuven, campus Kulak Kortrijk, Etienne Sabbelaan 53, Box 7659, B-8500 Kortrijk, Belgium
| | - Audrey Favrelle-Huret
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Centrale Lille, Univ. Artois, UMR 8181 - UCCS - Unité de Catalyse et Chimie du Solide, F-59000 Lille, France
| | - Wim Thielemans
- Sustainable Materials Lab, Department of Chemical Engineering, KU Leuven, campus Kulak Kortrijk, Etienne Sabbelaan 53, Box 7659, B-8500 Kortrijk, Belgium
| | - Philippe Zinck
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Centrale Lille, Univ. Artois, UMR 8181 - UCCS - Unité de Catalyse et Chimie du Solide, F-59000 Lille, France.
| | - Sami Souissi
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, IRD, UMR-8187-LOG, Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, Station Marine de Wimereux, F-59000 Lille, France; Center of Excellence for Ocean Engineering, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung 20224, Taiwan; Operation Center for Enterprise Academia Networking, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung 20224, Taiwan.
| | - Jae-Seong Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, South Korea.
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Tao S, Li T, Li M, Yang S, Shen M, Liu H. Research advances on the toxicity of biodegradable plastics derived micro/nanoplastics in the environment: A review. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 916:170299. [PMID: 38272086 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2023] [Revised: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
The detrimental effects of plastic and microplastic accumulation on ecosystems are widely recognized and indisputable. The emergence of biodegradable plastics (BPs) offers a practical solution to plastic pollution. Problematically, however, not all BPs can be fully degraded in the environment. On the contrary, the scientific community has demonstrated that BPs are more likely than conventional plastics (CPs) to degrade into micro/nanoplastics and release additives, which can have similar or even worse effects than microplastics. However, there is very limited information available on the environmental toxicity assessment of BMPs. The absence of a toxicity evaluation system and the uncertainty regarding combined toxicity with other pollutants also impede the environmental toxicity assessment of BMPs. Currently, research is focused on thoroughly exploring the toxic effects of biodegradable microplastics (BMPs). This paper reviews the pollution status of BMPs in the environment, the degradation behavior of BPs and the influencing factors. This paper comprehensively summarizes the ecotoxicological effects of BPs on ecosystems, considering animals, plants, and microorganisms in various environments such as water bodies, soil, and sediment. The focus is on distinguishing between BMPs and conventional microplastics (CMPs). In addition, the combined toxic effects of BMPs and other pollutants are also being investigated. The findings suggest that BMPs may have different or more severe impacts on ecosystems. The rougher and more intricate surface of BMPs increases the likelihood of causing mechanical damage to organisms and breaking down into smaller plastic particles, releasing additives that lead to a series of cascading negative effects on related organisms and ecosystems. In the case of knowledge gaps, future research is also proposed and anticipated to investigate the toxic effects of BMPs and their evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiyu Tao
- School of Energy and Environment, Anhui University of Technology, Maanshan, Anhui 243002, PR China
| | - Tianhao Li
- School of Energy and Environment, Anhui University of Technology, Maanshan, Anhui 243002, PR China
| | - Mingyu Li
- School of Energy and Environment, Anhui University of Technology, Maanshan, Anhui 243002, PR China
| | - Shengxin Yang
- School of Energy and Environment, Anhui University of Technology, Maanshan, Anhui 243002, PR China
| | - Maocai Shen
- School of Energy and Environment, Anhui University of Technology, Maanshan, Anhui 243002, PR China.
| | - Hui Liu
- School of Energy and Environment, Anhui University of Technology, Maanshan, Anhui 243002, PR China.
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Zhao Y, Jia H, Deng H, Ge C, Xing W, Yu H, Li J. Integrated microbiota and multi-omics analysis reveal the differential responses of earthworm to conventional and biodegradable microplastics in soil under biogas slurry irrigation. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 907:168191. [PMID: 37907108 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Revised: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
As one of the promising alternatives of conventional plastic mulching film (C-PMF), biodegradable plastic mulching films (B-PMF) were employed in agronomy production to alleviate the environmental burden of C-PMF. However, information regarding the potential toxicity effects of biodegradable microplastics (MPs) in soil still in scarcity, and the available findings were found to be controversial. Additionally, little is known about the molecular toxicity effects of conventional and biodegradable MPs on terrestrial organisms. Thus, 5 % (w/w) biodegradable (polylactic acid, PLA) and conventional (polyvinylchloride, PVC; low-density polyvinylchloride, LDPE) MPs were employed to assess the toxicity effects on Eisenia fetida in agricultural soil with biogas slurry irrigation. In the present study, transcriptomic, metabolomic profiles and individual indexes were selected to reveal the toxicity mechanisms from molecular level to the individual response. Furthermore, dysbiosis of bacterial community in gut was also investigated for obtaining comprehensive knowledge on the MPs toxicity. At the end of the exposure, the number of survival earthworms after MPs exposure was significantly reduced. Compared with the initial body weight, PLA and LDPE increased the biomass of earthworms after MPs exposure, while no significant influence on the biomass was observed in PVC treatment. Microbacterium, Klebsiella and Chryseobacterium were significantly enriched in earthworm gut after PLA, PVC and LDPE exposure, respectively (p < 0.05). Transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis revealed that PLA exposure induced neurotransmission disorder and high energetic expenditure in earthworms. However, PVC and LDPE inhibited the nutrient absorption efficiency and activated the innate immunity responses of earthworms. The PLS-SEM results showed that the effects of MPs were dominated by the polymer types, and hence, significantly and directly influence the gut bacterial community of earthworms. This study provides a better understanding of the similarities and discrepancies in toxicity effects of biodegradable and conventional MPs from the perspectives of individual, gut bacterial community, transcriptome and metabolome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanyuan Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; Center for Eco-Environment Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; College of Ecology and Environment, Hainan University, Renmin Road, Haikou 570228, China
| | - Huiting Jia
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; Center for Eco-Environment Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; College of Ecology and Environment, Hainan University, Renmin Road, Haikou 570228, China
| | - Hui Deng
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; Center for Eco-Environment Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; College of Ecology and Environment, Hainan University, Renmin Road, Haikou 570228, China
| | - Chengjun Ge
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; Center for Eco-Environment Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; College of Ecology and Environment, Hainan University, Renmin Road, Haikou 570228, China.
| | - Wenzhe Xing
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; Center for Eco-Environment Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; College of Ecology and Environment, Hainan University, Renmin Road, Haikou 570228, China
| | - Huamei Yu
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; Center for Eco-Environment Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; College of Ecology and Environment, Hainan University, Renmin Road, Haikou 570228, China.
| | - Jiatong Li
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; Center for Eco-Environment Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; College of Ecology and Environment, Hainan University, Renmin Road, Haikou 570228, China
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