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Battulga B, Nakayama M, Matsuoka S, Kondo T, Atarashi-Andoh M, Koarashi J. Dynamics and functions of microbial communities in the plastisphere in temperate coastal environments. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 264:122207. [PMID: 39142044 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.122207] [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: 04/05/2024] [Revised: 07/30/2024] [Accepted: 08/01/2024] [Indexed: 08/16/2024]
Abstract
Microbial attachment and biofilm formation on microplastics (MPs <5 mm in size) in the environment have received growing attention. However, there is limited knowledge of microbial function and their effect on the properties and behavior of MPs in the environment. In this study, microbial communities in the plastisphere were explored to understand microbial ecology as well as their impact on aquatic ecosystems. Using the amplicon sequencing of 16S and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) genes, we uncovered the composition and diversity of bacterial and fungal communities in samples of MPs (fiber, film, foam, and fragment), surface water, bottom sediment, and coastal sand in two contrasting coastal areas of Japan. Differences in microbial diversity and taxonomic composition were detected depending on sample type (MPs, water, sediment, and sand) and the research site. Although relatively higher bacterial and fungal gene counts were determined in MP fragments and foams from the research sites, there were no significant differences in microbial community composition depending on the morphotypes of MPs. Given the colonization by hydrocarbon-degrading communities and the presence of pathogens on MPs, the complex processes of microbial taxa influence the characteristics of MP-associated biofilms, and thus, the properties of MPs. This study highlights the metabolic functions of microbes in MP-associated biofilms, which could be key to uncovering the true impact of plastic debris on the global ecosystem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Batdulam Battulga
- Nuclear Science and Engineering Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Ibaraki, 319-1195, Japan.
| | - Masataka Nakayama
- Nuclear Science and Engineering Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Ibaraki, 319-1195, Japan
| | - Shunsuke Matsuoka
- Field Science Education and Research Center, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 601-0703, Japan
| | - Toshiaki Kondo
- Biological Resources and Post-harvest Division, Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8686, Japan
| | - Mariko Atarashi-Andoh
- Nuclear Science and Engineering Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Ibaraki, 319-1195, Japan
| | - Jun Koarashi
- Nuclear Science and Engineering Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Ibaraki, 319-1195, Japan
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2
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Monràs-Riera P, Avila C, Ballesté E. Plastisphere in an Antarctic environment: A microcosm approach. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2024; 208:116961. [PMID: 39293370 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2024] [Revised: 09/05/2024] [Accepted: 09/06/2024] [Indexed: 09/20/2024]
Abstract
Microplastics are present even in remote regions like the Southern Ocean. Once in the water, they are rapidly colonised by marine microorganisms, forming the plastisphere. To address this issue in Antarctic waters, we conducted a microcosm experiment by incubating polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene microplastic pellets, and quartz for 33 days on Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. We analysed plastic colonisation and plastisphere dynamics using scanning electron microscopy, flow cytometry, bacterial cultivation, qPCR, and 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding. Our results show rapid and consistent colonisation, although biomass formation was slightly slower than in other oceans, indicating unique environmental constraints. Time was the main factor influencing biofilm communities, while plastic polymer types had little effect. We observed a transition in microbial communities from early- to late-biofilm stages between days 12 and 19. Additionally, we described the bacterial plastisphere composition in this Antarctic environment, including the presence of hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pere Monràs-Riera
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
| | - Conxita Avila
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
| | - Elisenda Ballesté
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
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3
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Nava V, Leoni B, Arienzo MM, Hogan ZS, Gandolfi I, Tatangelo V, Carlson E, Chea S, Soum S, Kozloski R, Chandra S. Plastic pollution affects ecosystem processes including community structure and functional traits in large rivers. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 259:121849. [PMID: 38851112 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121849] [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: 02/28/2024] [Revised: 05/27/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/10/2024]
Abstract
Plastics in aquatic ecosystems rapidly undergo biofouling, giving rise to a new ecosystem on their surface, the 'plastisphere.' Few studies quantify the impact of plastics and their associated community on ecosystem traits from biodiversity and functional traits to metabolic function. It has been suspected that impacts on ecosystems may depend on its state but comparative studies of ecosystem responses are rare in the published literature. We quantified algal biomass, bacterial and algal biodiversity (16S and 18S rRNA), and metabolic traits of the community growing on the surface of different plastic polymers incubated within rivers of the Lower Mekong Basin. The rivers selected have different ecological characteristics but are similar regarding their high degree of plastic pollution. We examined the effects of plastics colonized with biofilms on ecosystem production, community dark respiration, and the epiplastic community's capability to influence nitrogen, phosphorus, organic carbon, and oxygen in water. Finally, we present conceptual models to guide our understanding of plastic pollution within freshwaters. Our findings showed limited microalgal biomass and bacterial dominance, with potential pathogens present. The location significantly influenced community composition, highlighting the role of environmental conditions in shaping community development. When assessing the effects on ecosystem productivity, our experiments showed that biofouled plastics led to a significant drop in oxygen concentration within river water, leading to hypoxic/anoxic conditions with subsequent profound impacts on system metabolism and the capability of influencing biogeochemical cycles. Scaling our findings revealed that plastic pollution may exert a more substantial and ecosystem-altering impact than initially assumed, particularly in areas with poorly managed plastic waste. These results highlighted that the plastisphere functions as a habitat for biologically active organisms which play a pivotal role in essential ecosystem processes. This warrants dedicated attention and investigation, particularly in sensitive ecosystems like the Mekong River, which supports a rich biodiversity and the livelihoods of 65 million people.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronica Nava
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 1, 20126 Milano MI, Italy
| | - Barbara Leoni
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 1, 20126 Milano MI, Italy.
| | - Monica M Arienzo
- Desert Research Institute, 2215 Raggio Pkwy, Reno, NV 89512, United States
| | - Zeb S Hogan
- Global Water Center and Biology Department, University of Nevada, 1664 N. Virginia, Reno, NV 89557-0314, United States
| | - Isabella Gandolfi
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 1, 20126 Milano MI, Italy
| | - Valeria Tatangelo
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 1, 20126 Milano MI, Italy
| | - Emily Carlson
- Global Water Center and Biology Department, University of Nevada, 1664 N. Virginia, Reno, NV 89557-0314, United States
| | - Seila Chea
- Institute of Technology of Cambodia, PO Box 86, Russian Conf. Blvd. Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | - Savoeurn Soum
- Royal University of Phnom Penh, Russian Federation Blvd (110), Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | - Rachel Kozloski
- Desert Research Institute, 2215 Raggio Pkwy, Reno, NV 89512, United States
| | - Sudeep Chandra
- Global Water Center and Biology Department, University of Nevada, 1664 N. Virginia, Reno, NV 89557-0314, United States.
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Eyheraguibel B, Diémé B, Lagrée M, Durand S, Barbe V, Meistertzheim AL, Ter Halle A, Burgaud G, Ghiglione JF. Untargeted metabolomic insights into plastisphere communities in European rivers. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2024:10.1007/s11356-024-34214-9. [PMID: 39090296 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-34214-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 06/29/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024]
Abstract
Every year, rivers introduce a staggering amount of hundred kilotons of plastic into the Oceans. This plastic is inhabited by microorganisms known as the plastisphere, which can be transferred between different ecosystems through the transport of microplastics. Here, we simulated the microbial colonization of polyethylene-based plastic pellets that are classically used to manufacture large-scale plastic products. The pellets were immersed for 1 month in four to five sampling stations along the river-to-sea continuum of nine of the major European rivers. This study presents the first untargeted metabolomics analysis of the plastisphere, by using ultra high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS). The plastisphere metabolomes were similar in the Rhine and Rhone rivers, while being different from the Tiber and Loire rivers, which showed greater similarity to the Thames and Seine rivers. Interestingly, we found a clear distinction between plastisphere metabolomes from freshwater and marine water in most of the river-to-sea continuum, thus suggesting a complete segregation in plastisphere metabolites that is not consistent with a major transfer of microorganisms between the two contrasted ecosystems. Putative annotations of 189 discriminating metabolites suggested that lipid metabolism was significantly modulated. These results enlightened the relevance of using environmental metabolomic as complementary analysis to the current OMICs analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boris Eyheraguibel
- Institut de Chimie de Clermont-Ferrand (ICCF), UMR6296, CNRS, Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France.
| | - Binta Diémé
- Université Clermont Auvergne, INRAE, UNH, Plateforme d'Exploration du Métabolisme, MetaboHUB Clermont, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Marie Lagrée
- Université Clermont Auvergne, INRAE, UNH, Plateforme d'Exploration du Métabolisme, MetaboHUB Clermont, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Stéphanie Durand
- Université Clermont Auvergne, INRAE, UNH, Plateforme d'Exploration du Métabolisme, MetaboHUB Clermont, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Valérie Barbe
- Génomique Métabolique, Genoscope, Institut François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, Univ Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, Evry, France
| | | | - Alexandra Ter Halle
- Laboratoire Softmat, Université de Toulouse, Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier, CNRS UMR 5623, Toulouse, France
| | - Gaétan Burgaud
- Laboratoire Universitaire de Biodiversité et Écologie Microbienne, Univ Brest, INRAE, Plouzané, France
| | - Jean-François Ghiglione
- Laboratoire d'Océanographie Microbienne (LOMIC), CNRS, Sorbonne Université, UMR 7621, Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls, Banyuls Sur Mer, France
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5
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Aloisi M, Grifoni D, Zarivi O, Colafarina S, Morciano P, Poma AMG. Plastic Fly: What Drosophila melanogaster Can Tell Us about the Biological Effects and the Carcinogenic Potential of Nanopolystyrene. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:7965. [PMID: 39063206 PMCID: PMC11277132 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25147965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2024] [Revised: 07/15/2024] [Accepted: 07/16/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Today, plastic pollution is one of the biggest threats to the environment and public health. In the tissues of exposed species, micro- and nano-fragments accumulate, leading to genotoxicity, altered metabolism, and decreased lifespan. A model to investigate the genotoxic and tumor-promoting potential of nanoplastics (NPs) is Drosophila melanogaster. Here we tested polystyrene, which is commonly used in food packaging, is not well recycled, and makes up at least 30% of landfills. In order to investigate the biological effects and carcinogenic potential of 100 µm polystyrene nanoparticles (PSNPs), we raised Oregon [R] wild-type flies on contaminated food. After prolonged exposure, fluorescent PSNPs accumulated in the gut and fat bodies. Furthermore, PSNP-fed flies showed considerable alterations in weight, developmental time, and lifespan, as well as a compromised ability to recover from starvation. Additionally, we noticed a decrease in motor activity in DNAlig4 mutants fed with PSNPs, which are known to be susceptible to dietary stressors. A qPCR molecular investigation of the larval intestines revealed a markedly elevated expression of the genes drice and p53, suggesting a response to cell damage. Lastly, we used warts-defective mutants to assess the carcinogenic potential of PSNPs and discovered that exposed flies had more aberrant masses than untreated ones. In summary, our findings support the notion that ingested nanopolystyrene triggers metabolic and genetic modifications in the exposed organisms, eventually delaying development and accelerating death and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Massimo Aloisi
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy; (M.A.); (D.G.); (O.Z.); (S.C.); (P.M.)
| | - Daniela Grifoni
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy; (M.A.); (D.G.); (O.Z.); (S.C.); (P.M.)
| | - Osvaldo Zarivi
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy; (M.A.); (D.G.); (O.Z.); (S.C.); (P.M.)
| | - Sabrina Colafarina
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy; (M.A.); (D.G.); (O.Z.); (S.C.); (P.M.)
| | - Patrizia Morciano
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy; (M.A.); (D.G.); (O.Z.); (S.C.); (P.M.)
- INFN Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, Assergi, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy
| | - Anna Maria Giuseppina Poma
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy; (M.A.); (D.G.); (O.Z.); (S.C.); (P.M.)
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6
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Dar MA, Xie R, Zabed HM, Pawar KD, Dhole NP, Sun J. Current paradigms and future challenges in harnessing gut bacterial symbionts of insects for biodegradation of plastic wastes. INSECT SCIENCE 2024. [PMID: 38990171 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.13417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2024] [Revised: 04/30/2024] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 07/12/2024]
Abstract
The ubiquitous incorporation of plastics into daily life, coupled with inefficient recycling practices, has resulted in the accumulation of millions of metric tons of plastic waste, that poses a serious threat to the Earth's sustainability. Plastic pollution, a global problem, disrupts the ecological balance and endangers various life forms. Efforts to combat plastic pollution are underway, with a promising avenue being biological degradation facilitated by certain insects and their symbiotic gut microorganisms, particularly bacteria. This review consolidates existing knowledge on plastic degradation by insects and their influence on gut microbiota. Additionally, it delves into the potential mechanisms employed by insects in symbiosis with gut bacteria, exploring the bioconversion of waste plastics into value-added biodegradable polymers through mineralization. These insights hold significant promise for the bio-upcycling of plastic waste, opening new horizons for future biomanufacturing of high-value chemicals from plastic-derived compounds. Finally, we weigh the pros and cons of future research endeavors related to the bioprospection of plastic-degrading bacteria from underexplored insect species. We also underscore the importance of bioengineering depolymerases with novel characteristics, aiming for their application in the remediation and valorization of waste plastics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mudasir A Dar
- Biofuels Institute, School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China
- Department of Zoology, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Ganeshkhind, Pune, Maharashtra, India
| | - Rongrong Xie
- Biofuels Institute, School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China
| | - Hossain M Zabed
- School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Kiran D Pawar
- School of Nanoscience and Biotechnology, Shivaji University, Vidyanagar, Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India
| | - Neeraja P Dhole
- Department of Zoology, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Ganeshkhind, Pune, Maharashtra, India
| | - Jianzhong Sun
- Biofuels Institute, School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China
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7
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Song X, Zou H, Zhang Y, Yang J, Ding J. Microplastics alter the microbiota-mediated phosphorus profiles at sediment-water interface: Distinct microbial effects between sediment and plastisphere. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 933:173048. [PMID: 38740204 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173048] [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: 02/29/2024] [Revised: 04/28/2024] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
Microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous in freshwater sediments, raising concern about their potential impacts on ecosystem services. However, the specific impacts of microbiota mediated by MPs in sediment and plastisphere compartments on P availability remain elusive. This investigation conducted a series of microcosm experiments utilizing eutrophic lake sediment amended with fuel-based polyethylene terephthalate (PET), bio-based polylactic acid (PLA) MPs, and a natural cobblestone substrate to unravel their effects. The findings highlighted that MPs induced alterations in bacterial communities in both sediment and plastisphere, consequently modifying P availabilities at the sediment-water interface (SWI). In comparison to non-biodegradable PET, biodegradable PLA MPs presented higher proportions of specific bacteria and functional genes associated with P profiles, such as Firmicutes, Ignavibacteriota, and P mineralizing genes in the sediment and plastisphere. This, in turn, elevated the levels of soluble reactive P in the porewater by 54.19 % (0-1 cm), 55.81 % (1-3 cm), and 18.24 % (3-5 cm), respectively. Additionally, PLA obviously altered P immobilization capacity and bioavailability, increasing the organic P fraction. Whereas, inert cobblestone exhibited negligible influence on P biogeochemical processes during the incubation. Moreover, the biofilm communities and those in the surrounding sediment specifically contributed to the changes in P profiles at the SWI. The functional genes associated with P profiles in the sediment mainly concentrate on P mineralization and P uptake/transport. In the plastisphere, P activation genes are obviously affected under MP exposure. This study fills the knowledge gap concerning the repercussions of MPs on ecosystem services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojun Song
- School of Environment & Ecology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Hua Zou
- School of Environment & Ecology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Technology and Material of Water Treatment, Suzhou 215009, China; Biomass Energy and Biological Carbon Reduction Engineering Center of Jiangsu Province, Wuxi 214122, China.
| | - Yunbo Zhang
- School of Environment & Ecology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Jiaxin Yang
- School of Environment & Ecology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Jiannan Ding
- School of Environment & Ecology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Technology and Material of Water Treatment, Suzhou 215009, China; Biomass Energy and Biological Carbon Reduction Engineering Center of Jiangsu Province, Wuxi 214122, China.
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8
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Chen H, Huang D, Zhou W, Deng R, Yin L, Xiao R, Li S, Li F, Lei Y. Hotspots lurking underwater: Insights into the contamination characteristics, environmental fates and impacts on biogeochemical cycling of microplastics in freshwater sediments. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2024; 476:135132. [PMID: 39002483 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.135132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2024] [Revised: 06/19/2024] [Accepted: 07/05/2024] [Indexed: 07/15/2024]
Abstract
The widespread presence of microplastics (MPs) in aquatic environments has become a significant concern, with freshwater sediments acting as terminal sinks, rapidly picking up these emerging anthropogenic particles. However, the accumulation, transport, degradation and biochemical impacts of MPs in freshwater sediments remain unresolved issues compared to other environmental compartments. Therefore, this paper systematically revealed the spatial distribution and characterization information of MPs in freshwater (rivers, lakes, and estuaries) sediments, in which small-size (<1 mm), fibers, transparent, polyethylene (PE), and polypropylene (PP) predominate, and the average abundance of MPs in river sediments displayed significant heterogeneity compared to other matrices. Next, the transport kinetics and drivers of MPs in sediments are summarized, MPs transport is controlled by the particle diversity and surrounding environmental variability, leading to different migration behaviors and transport efficiencies. Also emphasized the spatio-temporal evolution of MPs degradation processes and biodegradation mechanisms in sediments, different microorganisms can depolymerize high molecular weight polymers into low molecular weight biodegradation by-products via secreting hydrolytic enzymes or redox enzymes. Finally, discussed the ecological impacts of MPs on microbial-nutrient coupling in sediments, MPs can interfere with the ecological balance of microbially mediated nutrient cycling by altering community networks and structures, enzyme activities, and nutrient-related functional gene expressions. This work aims to elucidate the plasticity characteristics, fate processes, and potential ecological impact mechanisms of MPs in freshwater sediments, facilitating a better understanding of environmental risks of MPs in freshwater sediments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haojie Chen
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, PR China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control, Hunan University, Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082, PR China
| | - Danlian Huang
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, PR China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control, Hunan University, Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082, PR China; Greater Bay Area Institute for Innovation, Hunan University, Guangzhou 511300, Guangdong, PR China.
| | - Wei Zhou
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, PR China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control, Hunan University, Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082, PR China
| | - Rui Deng
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui 230009, PR China
| | - Lingshi Yin
- College of Water Resources & Civil Engineering, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, PR China
| | - Ruihao Xiao
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, PR China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control, Hunan University, Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082, PR China
| | - Sai Li
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, PR China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control, Hunan University, Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082, PR China
| | - Fei Li
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, PR China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control, Hunan University, Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082, PR China
| | - Yang Lei
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, PR China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control, Hunan University, Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082, PR China
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9
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Perchikov R, Cheliukanov M, Plekhanova Y, Tarasov S, Kharkova A, Butusov D, Arlyapov V, Nakamura H, Reshetilov A. Microbial Biofilms: Features of Formation and Potential for Use in Bioelectrochemical Devices. BIOSENSORS 2024; 14:302. [PMID: 38920606 PMCID: PMC11201457 DOI: 10.3390/bios14060302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2024] [Revised: 06/03/2024] [Accepted: 06/05/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024]
Abstract
Microbial biofilms present one of the most widespread forms of life on Earth. The formation of microbial communities on various surfaces presents a major challenge in a variety of fields, including medicine, the food industry, shipping, etc. At the same time, this process can also be used for the benefit of humans-in bioremediation, wastewater treatment, and various biotechnological processes. The main direction of using electroactive microbial biofilms is their incorporation into the composition of biosensor and biofuel cells This review examines the fundamental knowledge acquired about the structure and formation of biofilms, the properties they have when used in bioelectrochemical devices, and the characteristics of the formation of these structures on different surfaces. Special attention is given to the potential of applying the latest advances in genetic engineering in order to improve the performance of microbial biofilm-based devices and to regulate the processes that take place within them. Finally, we highlight possible ways of dealing with the drawbacks of using biofilms in the creation of highly efficient biosensors and biofuel cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roman Perchikov
- Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education, Tula State University, Tula 300012, Russia; (R.P.); (M.C.); (A.K.); (V.A.)
| | - Maxim Cheliukanov
- Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education, Tula State University, Tula 300012, Russia; (R.P.); (M.C.); (A.K.); (V.A.)
| | - Yulia Plekhanova
- Federal Research Center (Pushchino Scientific Center for Biological Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences), G.K. Skryabin Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Microorganisms, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino 142290, Russia; (Y.P.); (S.T.)
| | - Sergei Tarasov
- Federal Research Center (Pushchino Scientific Center for Biological Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences), G.K. Skryabin Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Microorganisms, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino 142290, Russia; (Y.P.); (S.T.)
| | - Anna Kharkova
- Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education, Tula State University, Tula 300012, Russia; (R.P.); (M.C.); (A.K.); (V.A.)
| | - Denis Butusov
- Computer-Aided Design Department, Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University “LETI”, Saint Petersburg 197022, Russia;
| | - Vyacheslav Arlyapov
- Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education, Tula State University, Tula 300012, Russia; (R.P.); (M.C.); (A.K.); (V.A.)
| | - Hideaki Nakamura
- Department of Liberal Arts, Tokyo University of Technology, 1404-1 Katakura, Hachioji 192-0982, Tokyo, Japan;
| | - Anatoly Reshetilov
- Federal Research Center (Pushchino Scientific Center for Biological Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences), G.K. Skryabin Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Microorganisms, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino 142290, Russia; (Y.P.); (S.T.)
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10
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Jaafarzadeh N, Talepour N. Microplastics as carriers of antibiotic resistance genes and pathogens in municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill leachate and soil: a review. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCE & ENGINEERING 2024; 22:1-12. [PMID: 38887766 PMCID: PMC11180052 DOI: 10.1007/s40201-023-00879-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/20/2024]
Abstract
Landfill leachate contains antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and microplastics (MPs), making it an important reservoir. However, little research has been conducted on how ARGs are enriched on MPs and how the presence of MPs affects pathogens and ARGs in leachates and soil. MPs possess the capacity to establish unique bacterial populations and assimilate contaminants from their immediate surroundings, generating a potential environment conducive to the growth of disease-causing microorganisms and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), thereby exerting selection pressure. Through a comprehensive analysis of scientific literature, we have carried out a practical assessment of this topic. The gathering of pollutants and the formation of dense bacterial communities on microplastics create advantageous circumstances for an increased frequency of ARG transfer and evolution. Additional investigations are necessary to acquire a more profound comprehension of how pathogens and ARGs are enriched, transported, and transferred on microplastics. This research is essential for evaluating the health risks associated with human exposure to these pollutants. Graphical Abstract
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Affiliation(s)
- Neamatollah Jaafarzadeh
- Environmental Technologies Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Nastaran Talepour
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
- Student Research Committee, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
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11
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Jacquin J, Budinich M, Chaffron S, Barbe V, Lombard F, Pedrotti ML, Gorsky G, Ter Halle A, Bruzaud S, Kedzierski M, Ghiglione JF. Niche partitioning and plastisphere core microbiomes in the two most plastic polluted zones of the world ocean. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2024; 31:41118-41136. [PMID: 38844633 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-33847-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 05/25/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Plastics are offering a new niche for microorganisms colonizing their surface, the so-called "plastisphere," in which diversity and community structure remain to be characterized and compared across ocean pelagic regions. Here, we compared the bacterial diversity of microorganisms living on plastic marine debris (PMD) and the surrounding free-living (FL) and organic particle-attached (PA) lifestyles sampled during the Tara expeditions in two of the most plastic polluted zones in the world ocean, i.e., the North Pacific gyre and the Mediterranean Sea. The 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis confirmed that PMD are a new anthropogenic ocean habitat for marine microbes at the ocean-basin-scale, with clear niche partitioning compared to FL and PA lifestyles. At an ocean-basin-scale, the composition of the plastisphere communities was mainly driven by environmental selection, rather than polymer types or dispersal effect. A plastisphere "core microbiome" could be identified, mainly dominated by Rhodobacteraceae and Cyanobacteria. Predicted functions indicated the dominance of carbon, nitrogen and sulfur metabolisms on PMD that open new questions on the role of the plastisphere in a large number of important ecological processes in the marine ecosystem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justine Jacquin
- UMR 7621, Laboratoire d'Océanographie Microbienne (LOMIC), CNRS, Sorbonne Université, 1 Avenue Fabre, 66650, Banyuls Sur Mer, France
| | - Marko Budinich
- Laboratoire Adaptation Et Diversité en Milieu Marin, Station Biologique de Roscoff, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Roscoff, France
- Research Federation for the Study of Global Ocean Systems Ecology and Evolution, FR2022/Tara Oceans GOSEE, Paris, France
| | - Samuel Chaffron
- Research Federation for the Study of Global Ocean Systems Ecology and Evolution, FR2022/Tara Oceans GOSEE, Paris, France
- École Centrale Nantes, CNRS, LS2N, UMR 6004, Nantes Université, F-44000, Nantes, France
| | - Valérie Barbe
- Génomique Métabolique, Genoscope, Institut François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, Univ Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, Evry, France
| | - Fabien Lombard
- UMR 7076, Laboratoire d'Océanographie de Villefranche, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Villefranche Sur Mer, France
| | - Maria-Luiza Pedrotti
- UMR 7076, Laboratoire d'Océanographie de Villefranche, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Villefranche Sur Mer, France
| | - Gabriel Gorsky
- UMR 7076, Laboratoire d'Océanographie de Villefranche, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Villefranche Sur Mer, France
| | - Alexandra Ter Halle
- Laboratoire SOFMAT, CNRS, Université de Toulouse III-Paul Sabatier, UMR 5623, Toulouse, France
| | - Stéphane Bruzaud
- UMR CNRS 6027, Institut de Recherche Dupuy de Lôme (IRDL), Université de Bretagne-Sud, Lorient, France
| | - Mikaël Kedzierski
- UMR CNRS 6027, Institut de Recherche Dupuy de Lôme (IRDL), Université de Bretagne-Sud, Lorient, France
| | - Jean-François Ghiglione
- UMR 7621, Laboratoire d'Océanographie Microbienne (LOMIC), CNRS, Sorbonne Université, 1 Avenue Fabre, 66650, Banyuls Sur Mer, France.
- Research Federation for the Study of Global Ocean Systems Ecology and Evolution, FR2022/Tara Oceans GOSEE, Paris, France.
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12
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Bocci V, Galafassi S, Levantesi C, Crognale S, Amalfitano S, Congestri R, Matturro B, Rossetti S, Di Pippo F. Freshwater plastisphere: a review on biodiversity, risks, and biodegradation potential with implications for the aquatic ecosystem health. Front Microbiol 2024; 15:1395401. [PMID: 38699475 PMCID: PMC11064797 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1395401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2024] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 05/05/2024] Open
Abstract
The plastisphere, a unique microbial biofilm community colonizing plastic debris and microplastics (MPs) in aquatic environments, has attracted increasing attention owing to its ecological and public health implications. This review consolidates current state of knowledge on freshwater plastisphere, focussing on its biodiversity, community assembly, and interactions with environmental factors. Current biomolecular approaches revealed a variety of prokaryotic and eukaryotic taxa associated with plastic surfaces. Despite their ecological importance, the presence of potentially pathogenic bacteria and mobile genetic elements (i.e., antibiotic resistance genes) raises concerns for ecosystem and human health. However, the extent of these risks and their implications remain unclear. Advanced sequencing technologies are promising for elucidating the functions of plastisphere, particularly in plastic biodegradation processes. Overall, this review emphasizes the need for comprehensive studies to understand plastisphere dynamics in freshwater and to support effective management strategies to mitigate the impact of plastic pollution on freshwater resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valerio Bocci
- Water Research Institute, CNR-IRSA, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
- PhD Program in Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Rome, Italy
| | - Silvia Galafassi
- Water Research Institute, CNR-IRSA, National Research Council, Verbania, Italy
- NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, Italy
| | - Caterina Levantesi
- Water Research Institute, CNR-IRSA, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
| | - Simona Crognale
- Water Research Institute, CNR-IRSA, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
- NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, Italy
| | - Stefano Amalfitano
- Water Research Institute, CNR-IRSA, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
- NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, Italy
| | - Roberta Congestri
- Laboratory of Biology of Algae, Department of Biology, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Rome, Italy
| | - Bruna Matturro
- Water Research Institute, CNR-IRSA, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
- NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, Italy
| | - Simona Rossetti
- Water Research Institute, CNR-IRSA, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Di Pippo
- Water Research Institute, CNR-IRSA, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
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13
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Deng W, Wang Y, Wang Z, Liu J, Wang J, Liu W. Effects of photoaging on structure and characteristics of biofilms on microplastic in soil: Biomass and microbial community. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2024; 467:133726. [PMID: 38341883 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.133726] [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: 11/20/2023] [Revised: 01/13/2024] [Accepted: 02/03/2024] [Indexed: 02/13/2024]
Abstract
Understanding of the environmental behaviors of microplastics is limited by a lack of knowledge about how photoaging influences biofilm formation on microplastics in soil. Here, original microplastics (OMPs) and photoaged-microplastics (AMPs) were incubated in soil to study the effect of photoaging on formation and characteristics of biofilm on the poly (butylene succinate) microplastics. Because photoaging decreased the hydrophobicity of the microplastic, the biomass of biofilm on the OMPs was nearly twice that on the AMPs in the early stage of incubation. However, the significance of the substrate on biomass in the biofilm declined as the plastisphere developed. The bacterial communities in the plastisphere were distinct from, and less diverse than, those in surrounding soil. The dominant genera in the OMPs and AMPs plastispheres were Achromobacter and Burkholderia, respectively, indicating that photoaging changed the composition of the bacterial community of biofilm at the genus level. Meantime, photoaging decreased the complexity and stability of the plastisphere bacterial community network. Results of Biolog ECO-microplate assays and functional prediction from amplicons showed that photoaging treatment enhanced the carbon metabolic capacity of the microplastic biofilm. This study provides new insights into the formation of plastispheres in soil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenbo Deng
- Shanxi Key Laboratory for Ecological Restoration of Loess Plateau China, Observation and Research Station of the Ministry of Education of Shanxi Subalpine Grassland Ecosystem, Institute of Loess Plateau, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
| | - Yajing Wang
- Shanxi Key Laboratory for Ecological Restoration of Loess Plateau China, Observation and Research Station of the Ministry of Education of Shanxi Subalpine Grassland Ecosystem, Institute of Loess Plateau, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
| | - Zihan Wang
- Shanxi Key Laboratory for Ecological Restoration of Loess Plateau China, Observation and Research Station of the Ministry of Education of Shanxi Subalpine Grassland Ecosystem, Institute of Loess Plateau, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
| | - Jinxian Liu
- Shanxi Key Laboratory for Ecological Restoration of Loess Plateau China, Observation and Research Station of the Ministry of Education of Shanxi Subalpine Grassland Ecosystem, Institute of Loess Plateau, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
| | - Jian Wang
- Canadian Light Source Inc., University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 2V3, Canada
| | - Wenjuan Liu
- Shanxi Key Laboratory for Ecological Restoration of Loess Plateau China, Observation and Research Station of the Ministry of Education of Shanxi Subalpine Grassland Ecosystem, Institute of Loess Plateau, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China.
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14
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Obrador‐Viel T, Zadjelovic V, Nogales B, Bosch R, Christie‐Oleza JA. Assessing microbial plastic degradation requires robust methods. Microb Biotechnol 2024; 17:e14457. [PMID: 38568802 PMCID: PMC10990042 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.14457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2024] [Revised: 02/23/2024] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Plastics are versatile materials that have the potential to propel humanity towards circularity and ultimate societal sustainability. However, the escalating concern surrounding plastic pollution has garnered significant attention, leading to widespread negative perceptions of these materials. Here, we question the role microbes may play in plastic pollution bioremediation by (i) defining polymer biodegradability (i.e., recalcitrant, hydrolysable and biodegradable polymers) and (ii) reviewing best practices for evaluating microbial biodegradation of plastics. We establish recommendations to facilitate the implementation of rigorous methodologies in future studies on plastic biodegradation, aiming to push this field towards the use of isotopic labelling to confirm plastic biodegradation and further determine the molecular mechanisms involved.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Vinko Zadjelovic
- Centro de Bioinnovación de Antofagasta (CBIA), Facultad de Ciencias del Mar y Recursos BiológicosUniversidad de AntofagastaAntofagastaChile
- Centre for Biotechnology & Bioengineering (CeBiB)SantiagoChile
| | - Balbina Nogales
- Department of BiologyUniversity of the Balearic IslandsPalmaSpain
| | - Rafael Bosch
- Department of BiologyUniversity of the Balearic IslandsPalmaSpain
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15
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Curi LM, Barrios CE, Attademo AM, Caramello C, Peltzer PM, Lajmanovich RC, Sánchez S, Hernández DR. A realistic combined exposure scenario: effect of microplastics and atrazine on Piaractus mesopotamicus. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2024; 31:29794-29810. [PMID: 38592632 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-33177-1] [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: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024]
Abstract
Microplastics, considered emerging environmental contaminants resulting from plastic degradation, are discovered in diverse aquatic ecosystems and can be unintentionally ingested by fish. Therefore, it is essential to characterize their interaction with other contaminants, such as agrochemicals, in aquatic environments. This study aimed to assess histological, enzymatic, and genotoxic biomarkers in juvenile pacú (Piaractus mesopotamicus) exposed to polyethylene (PE) microplastic particles and the herbicide atrazine, individually or combined, for 15 days. Four treatments were used: a negative control (CON), PE in the fish diet (0.1% w/w, FPE), atrazine through water (100 μg L-1, ATZ), and the mixture (ATZ+FPE). Results confirmed histological alterations in gills (edema and lamellar fusion) and liver (necrotic areas and congestion) of fish exposed to ATZ and ATZ+FPE. The number of goblet cells increased in the posterior intestine of fish under ATZ+FPE compared to CON and FPE. Enzyme activities (CAT, GST, AChE, and BChE) significantly increased in ATZ+FPE compared to CON. However, no genotoxic effect was demonstrated. These findings provide insights into the complex impacts of simultaneous exposure to atrazine and microplastics, emphasizing the need for continued research to guide effective environmental management strategies against these contaminants that represent a risk to aquatic organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucila Marilén Curi
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Instituto de Materiales de Misiones (IMAM). Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Químicas y Naturales (FCEQyN), Universidad Nacional de Misiones (UNAM-CONICET), Félix de Azara, 1552, Posadas, Argentina.
| | - Carlos Eduardo Barrios
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Instituto de Ictiología del Nordeste (INICNE). Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias (FCV), Universidad Nacional del Nordeste (UNNE), Sargento Cabral, 2139, Corrientes, Argentina
| | - Andrés Maximiliano Attademo
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Laboratorio de Ecotoxicología, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral (FBCB -UNL-CONICET), Ciudad Universitaria, Paraje "El Pozo", RNN 168, Km, 472, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - Cynthia Caramello
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Instituto de Materiales de Misiones (IMAM). Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Químicas y Naturales (FCEQyN), Universidad Nacional de Misiones (UNAM-CONICET), Félix de Azara, 1552, Posadas, Argentina
| | - Paola Mariela Peltzer
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Laboratorio de Ecotoxicología, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral (FBCB -UNL-CONICET), Ciudad Universitaria, Paraje "El Pozo", RNN 168, Km, 472, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - Rafael Carlos Lajmanovich
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Laboratorio de Ecotoxicología, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral (FBCB -UNL-CONICET), Ciudad Universitaria, Paraje "El Pozo", RNN 168, Km, 472, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - Sebastián Sánchez
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Instituto de Ictiología del Nordeste (INICNE). Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias (FCV), Universidad Nacional del Nordeste (UNNE), Sargento Cabral, 2139, Corrientes, Argentina
| | - David Roque Hernández
- Instituto de Ictiología del Nordeste (INICNE). Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias (FCV), Universidad Nacional del Nordeste (UNNE), Sargento Cabral, 2139, Corrientes, Argentina
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16
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Covello C, Di Vincenzo F, Cammarota G, Pizzoferrato M. Micro(nano)plastics and Their Potential Impact on Human Gut Health: A Narrative Review. Curr Issues Mol Biol 2024; 46:2658-2677. [PMID: 38534784 DOI: 10.3390/cimb46030168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2024] [Revised: 03/18/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) are becoming an increasingly severe global problem due to their widespread distribution and complex impact on living organisms. Apart from their environmental impact, the effects of MNPs on living organisms have also continued to attract attention. The harmful impact of MNPs has been extensively documented in marine invertebrates and larger marine vertebrates like fish. However, the research on the toxicity of these particles on mammals is still limited, and their possible effects on humans are poorly understood. Considering that MNPs are commonly found in food or food packaging, humans are primarily exposed to them through ingestion. It would be valuable to investigate the potential harmful effects of these particles on gut health. This review focuses on recent research exploring the toxicological impacts of micro- and nanoplastics on the gut, as observed in human cell lines and mammalian models. Available data from various studies indicate that the accumulation of MNPs in mammalian models and human cells may result in adverse consequences, in terms of epithelial toxicity, immune toxicity, and the disruption of the gut microbiota. The paper also discusses the current research limitations and prospects in this field, aiming to provide a scientific basis and reference for further studies on the toxic mechanisms of micro- and nanoplastics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlo Covello
- Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Digestive Diseases, Gastroenterology Department, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Federica Di Vincenzo
- Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Digestive Diseases, Gastroenterology Department, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Giovanni Cammarota
- UOC Gastroenterologia, Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche e Chirurgiche, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Marco Pizzoferrato
- UOC Gastroenterologia, Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche e Chirurgiche, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
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17
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Barbe V, Jacquin J, Bouzon M, Wolinski A, Derippe G, Cheng J, Cruaud C, Roche D, Fouteau S, Petit JL, Conan P, Pujo-Pay M, Bruzaud S, Ghiglione JF. Bioplastic degradation and assimilation processes by a novel bacterium isolated from the marine plastisphere. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2024; 466:133573. [PMID: 38306834 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.133573] [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: 10/17/2023] [Revised: 11/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/04/2024]
Abstract
Biosourced and biodegradable plastics offer a promising solution to reduce environmental impacts of plastics for specific applications. Here, we report a novel bacterium named Alteromonas plasticoclasticus MED1 isolated from the marine plastisphere that forms biofilms on foils of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV). Experiments of degradation halo, plastic matrix weight loss, bacterial oxygen consumption and heterotrophic biosynthetic activity showed that the bacterial isolate MED1 is able to degrade PHBV and to use it as carbon and energy source. The likely entire metabolic pathway specifically expressed by this bacterium grown on PHBV matrices was shown by further genomic and transcriptomic analysis. In addition to a gene coding for a probable secreted depolymerase, a gene cluster was located that encodes characteristic enzymes involved in the complete depolymerization of PHBV, the transport of oligomers, and in the conversion of the monomers into intermediates of central carbon metabolism. The transcriptomic experiments showed the activation of the glyoxylate shunt during PHBV degradation, setting the isocitrate dehydrogenase activity as regulated branching point of the carbon flow entering the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Our study also shows the potential of exploring the natural plastisphere to discover new bacteria with promising metabolic capabilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valérie Barbe
- Génomique Métabolique, Genoscope, Institut François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, Univ Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, Evry, France
| | - Justine Jacquin
- CNRS, Sorbonne Université, UMR 7621, Laboratoire d'Océanographie Microbienne, Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls, France
| | - Madeleine Bouzon
- Génomique Métabolique, Genoscope, Institut François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, Univ Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, Evry, France
| | - Adèle Wolinski
- CNRS, Sorbonne Université, UMR 7621, Laboratoire d'Océanographie Microbienne, Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls, France
| | - Gabrielle Derippe
- CNRS, Sorbonne Université, UMR 7621, Laboratoire d'Océanographie Microbienne, Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls, France; Institut de Recherche Dupuy de Lôme (IRDL), Université de Bretagne-Sud, UMR CNRS 6027, Rue Saint Maudé, Lorient, France
| | - Jingguang Cheng
- CNRS, Sorbonne Université, UMR 7621, Laboratoire d'Océanographie Microbienne, Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls, France
| | - Corinne Cruaud
- Genoscope, Institut François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, Univ Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, Evry, France
| | - David Roche
- Génomique Métabolique, Genoscope, Institut François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, Univ Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, Evry, France
| | - Stéphanie Fouteau
- Génomique Métabolique, Genoscope, Institut François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, Univ Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, Evry, France
| | - Jean-Louis Petit
- Génomique Métabolique, Genoscope, Institut François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, Univ Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, Evry, France
| | - Pascal Conan
- CNRS, Sorbonne Université, UMR 7621, Laboratoire d'Océanographie Microbienne, Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls, France
| | - Mireille Pujo-Pay
- CNRS, Sorbonne Université, UMR 7621, Laboratoire d'Océanographie Microbienne, Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls, France
| | - Stéphane Bruzaud
- Institut de Recherche Dupuy de Lôme (IRDL), Université de Bretagne-Sud, UMR CNRS 6027, Rue Saint Maudé, Lorient, France
| | - Jean-François Ghiglione
- CNRS, Sorbonne Université, UMR 7621, Laboratoire d'Océanographie Microbienne, Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls, France.
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18
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Sabatino R, Zullo R, Di Cesare A, Piscia R, Musazzi S, Corno G, Volta P, Galafassi S. Traditional and biodegradable plastics host distinct and potentially more hazardous microbes when compared to both natural materials and planktonic community. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2024; 465:133166. [PMID: 38101010 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.133166] [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: 08/11/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
Microplastic particles are persistent micropollutants that provide a substrate for the growth of bacterial biofilms, posing a threat to the environment. This study explores the changes in commercially available food containers made of conventional (polypropylene PP, polyethylene terephthalate PET), innovative biodegradable (Mater-Bi) and natural (wood and cellulose) materials, when introduced in the surface waters of Lake Maggiore for 43 days. Spectral changes revealed by FT-IR spectroscopy in PET and Mater-Bi, and changes in thermal properties of all human-made material tested indicated a degradation process occurred during environmental exposure. Despite similar bacterial richness, biofilms on PET, PP, and Mater-Bi differed from natural material biofilms and the planktonic community. Human-made material communities showed a higher proportion of potential pathogens, with PET and PP also exhibiting increased abundances of antibiotic resistance genes. Overall, these findings stress the need for dedicated strategies to curb the spread of human-made polymers in freshwaters, including innovative materials that, due to their biodegradable properties, might be perceived less hazardous for the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rosa Zullo
- Water Research Institute, National Research Council, Verbania, Italy.
| | - Andrea Di Cesare
- Water Research Institute, National Research Council, Verbania, Italy; NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo 90133, Italy
| | - Roberta Piscia
- Water Research Institute, National Research Council, Verbania, Italy
| | - Simona Musazzi
- Water Research Institute, National Research Council, Verbania, Italy
| | - Gianluca Corno
- Water Research Institute, National Research Council, Verbania, Italy; NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo 90133, Italy
| | - Pietro Volta
- Water Research Institute, National Research Council, Verbania, Italy
| | - Silvia Galafassi
- Water Research Institute, National Research Council, Verbania, Italy; NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo 90133, Italy
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19
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Parida D, Katare K, Ganguly A, Chakraborty D, Konar O, Nogueira R, Bala K. Molecular docking and metagenomics assisted mitigation of microplastic pollution. CHEMOSPHERE 2024; 351:141271. [PMID: 38262490 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.141271] [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: 09/29/2023] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
Microplastics, tiny, flimsy, and direct progenitors of principal and subsidiary plastics, cause environmental degradation in aquatic and terrestrial entities. Contamination concerns include irrevocable impacts, potential cytotoxicity, and negative health effects on mortals. The detection, recovery, and degradation strategies of these pollutants in various biota and ecosystems, as well as their impact on plants, animals, and humans, have been a topic of significant interest. But the natural environment is infested with several types of plastics, all having different chemical makeup, structure, shape, and origin. Plastic trash acts as a substrate for microbial growth, creating biofilms on the plastisphere surface. This colonizing microbial diversity can be glimpsed with meta-genomics, a culture-independent approach. Owing to its comprehensive description of microbial communities, genealogical evidence on unconventional biocatalysts or enzymes, genomic correlations, evolutionary profile, and function, it is being touted as one of the promising tools in identifying novel enzymes for the degradation of polymers. Additionally, computational tools such as molecular docking can predict the binding of these novel enzymes to the polymer substrate, which can be validated through in vitro conditions for its environmentally feasible applications. This review mainly deals with the exploration of metagenomics along with computational tools to provide a clearer perspective into the microbial potential in the biodegradation of microplastics. The computational tools due to their polymathic nature will be quintessential in identifying the enzyme structure, binding affinities of the prospective enzymes to the substrates, and foretelling of degradation pathways involved which can be quite instrumental in the furtherance of the plastic degradation studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dinesh Parida
- Department of Biosciences and Biomedical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Indore, 453552, India.
| | - Konica Katare
- Department of Biosciences and Biomedical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Indore, 453552, India.
| | - Atmaadeep Ganguly
- Department of Microbiology, Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Centenary College, West Bengal State University, Kolkata, 700118, India.
| | - Disha Chakraborty
- Department of Botany, Shri Shikshayatan College, University of Calcutta, Lord Sinha Road, Kolkata, 700071, India.
| | - Oisi Konar
- Department of Botany, Shri Shikshayatan College, University of Calcutta, Lord Sinha Road, Kolkata, 700071, India.
| | - Regina Nogueira
- Institute of Sanitary Engineering and Waste Management, Leibniz Universität, Hannover, Germany.
| | - Kiran Bala
- Department of Biosciences and Biomedical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Indore, 453552, India.
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20
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Shruti VC, Kutralam-Muniasamy G, Pérez-Guevara F. Microplastisphere antibiotic resistance genes: A bird's-eye view on the plastic-specific diversity and enrichment. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 912:169316. [PMID: 38103611 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169316] [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: 10/20/2023] [Revised: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 12/10/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
The microplastisphere is a dense consortium of metabolically active microorganisms that develops on the surface of microplastics. Since the discovery that it harbors antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), there has been a quest to decipher the relationship between ARG occurrences and selective enrichment with plastic types, which is important to understand their fate in diverse environmental settings. Nonetheless, it remains a neglected topic, and this developing field of microplastics research could benefit from a comprehensive review to acquire a deeper understanding of the most recent advances and drive scientific progress. Accordingly, the goal of this review is to critically discuss and provide an in-depth assessment of the evidence of ARGs' global nature in microplastispheres, as well as explore factors that influence them directly and indirectly, highlighting important concerns and knowledge gaps throughout the article. By comprehensively covering them, we underscore the potential environmental implications associated with microplastisphere ARGs. From our analysis, it emerged that microplastisphere ARGs are likely to be impacted not only by differences in microplastic types and characteristics but also by how their environments are shaped by other agents such as physiochemical properties, socioeconomic factors, and contaminants coexistence, influencing ARG subtype, incidence, abundance, and selective enrichment. The intricate relationship of microplastisphere ARGs to environmental conditions and plastic types calls for multilevel investigations to clearly assess the environmental fate of microplastics. We anticipate that this review could assist researchers in strengthening their foundation and identifying efforts to advance knowledge in this research field.
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Affiliation(s)
- V C Shruti
- Department of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de México, Mexico.
| | - Gurusamy Kutralam-Muniasamy
- Department of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de México, Mexico.
| | - Fermín Pérez-Guevara
- Department of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de México, Mexico; Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Program, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de México, Mexico
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21
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Ou D, Ni Y, Li W, He W, Wang L, Huang H, Pan Z. Psychrobacter species enrichment as potential microplastic degrader and the putative biodegradation mechanism in Shenzhen Bay sediment, China. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2024; 464:132971. [PMID: 37956562 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.132971] [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: 08/28/2023] [Revised: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
Microplastic (MP) pollution has emerged as a pressing environmental concern due to its ubiquity and longevity. Biodegradation of MPs has garnered significant attention in combatting global MP contamination. This study focused on MPs within sediments near the sewage outlet of Shenzhen Bay. The objective was to elucidate the microbial communities in sediments with varying MPs, particularly those with high MP loads, and to identify microorganisms associated with MP degradation. The results revealed varying MP abundance, ranging from 211 to 4140 items kg-1 dry weight (d. w.), with the highest concentration observed near the outfall. Metagenomic analysis confirmed the enrichment of Psychrobacter species in sediments with high MP content. Psychrobacter accounted for ∼16.71% of the total bacterial community and 41.71% of hydrocarbon degrading bacteria at the S3 site, exhibiting a higher abundance than at other sampling sites. Psychrobacter contributed significantly to bacterial function at S3, as evidenced by the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway and enzyme analysis. Notably, 28 enzymes involved in MP biodegradation were identified, predominantly comprising oxidoreductases, hydrolases, transferases, ligases, lyases, and isomerases. We propose a putative mechanism for MP biodegradation, involving the breakdown of long-chain plastic polymers and subsequent oxidation of short-chain oligomers, ultimately leading to thorough mineralization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danyun Ou
- Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen 361005, PR China; Key Laboratory of Marine Ecological Conservation and Restoration, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen 361005, PR China; Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Ecological Conservation and Restoration, Xiamen 361005, PR China; Observation and Research Station of Coastal Wetland Ecosystem in Beibu Gulf, Ministry of Natural Resources, Beihai 536015, PR China
| | - Yue Ni
- Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen 361005, PR China; Key Laboratory of Marine Ecological Conservation and Restoration, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen 361005, PR China; Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Ecological Conservation and Restoration, Xiamen 361005, PR China
| | - Weiwen Li
- Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen 361005, PR China; Key Laboratory of Marine Ecological Conservation and Restoration, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen 361005, PR China; Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Ecological Conservation and Restoration, Xiamen 361005, PR China
| | - Weiyi He
- Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen 361005, PR China; Institute for Advanced Studies, Universiti Malaya, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Lei Wang
- Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen 361005, PR China; Key Laboratory of Marine Ecological Conservation and Restoration, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen 361005, PR China; Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Ecological Conservation and Restoration, Xiamen 361005, PR China
| | - Hao Huang
- Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen 361005, PR China; Key Laboratory of Marine Ecological Conservation and Restoration, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen 361005, PR China; Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Ecological Conservation and Restoration, Xiamen 361005, PR China
| | - Zhong Pan
- Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen 361005, PR China.
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22
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Rohrbach S, Gkoutselis G, Mauel A, Telli N, Senker J, Ho A, Rambold G, Horn MA. Setting new standards: Multiphasic analysis of microplastic mineralization by fungi. CHEMOSPHERE 2024; 349:141025. [PMID: 38142885 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.141025] [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: 09/06/2023] [Revised: 11/25/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023]
Abstract
Plastic materials provide numerous benefits. However, properties such as durability and resistance to degradation that make plastic attractive for variable applications likewise foster accumulation in the environment. Fragmentation of plastics leads to the formation of potentially hazardous microplastic, of which a considerable amount derives from polystyrene. Here, we investigated the biodegradation of polystyrene by the tropical sooty mold fungus Capnodium coffeae in different experimental setups. Growth of C. coffeae was stimulated significantly when cultured in presence of plastic polymers rather than in its absence. Stable isotope tracing using 13C-enriched polystyrene particles combined with cavity ring-down spectroscopy showed that the fungus mineralized polystyrene traces. However, phospholipid fatty acid stable isotope probing indicated only marginal assimilation of polystyrene-13C by C. coffeae in liquid cultures. NMR spectroscopic analysis of residual styrene contents prior to and after incubation revealed negligible changes in concentration. Thus, this study suggests a plastiphilic life style of C. coffeae despite minor usage of plastic as a carbon source and the general capability of sooty mold fungi to stimulate polystyrene mineralization, and proposes new standards to identify and unambiguously demonstrate plastic degrading capabilities of microbes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephan Rohrbach
- Institute of Microbiology, Leibniz University Hannover, 30419 Hannover, Germany
| | | | - Anika Mauel
- Inorganic Chemistry III and Northern Bavarian NMR Centre University of Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Nihal Telli
- Department of Mycology, University of Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Jürgen Senker
- Inorganic Chemistry III and Northern Bavarian NMR Centre University of Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Adrian Ho
- Institute of Microbiology, Leibniz University Hannover, 30419 Hannover, Germany
| | - Gerhard Rambold
- Department of Mycology, University of Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Marcus A Horn
- Institute of Microbiology, Leibniz University Hannover, 30419 Hannover, Germany.
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23
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Li T, Xu B, Chen H, Shi Y, Li J, Yu M, Xia S, Wu S. Gut toxicity of polystyrene microplastics and polychlorinated biphenyls to Eisenia fetida: Single and co-exposure effects with a focus on links between gut bacteria and bacterial translocation stemming from gut barrier damage. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 908:168254. [PMID: 37923278 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168254] [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: 08/10/2023] [Revised: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/29/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
Microplastics' (MPs) ability to sorb and transport polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in soil ecosystems warrants significant attention. Although organisms mainly encounter pollutants through the gut, the combined pollution impact of MPs and PCBs on soil fauna gut toxicity remains incompletely understood. Consequently, this study examined the gut toxicity of polystyrene MPs (PS-MPs) and PCB126 on Eisenia fetida, emphasizing the links between gut bacteria and bacterial translocation instigated by gut barrier impairment. Our findings underscored that E. fetida could ingest PS-MPs, which mitigated the PCB126 accumulation in E. fetida by 9.43 %. Exposure to PCB126 inhibited the expression of gut tight junction (TJ) protein genes. Although the presence of PS-MPs attenuated this suppression, it didn't alleviate gut barrier damage and bacterial translocation in the co-exposure group. This group demonstrated a significantly increased level of gut bacterial load (BLT, ANOVA, p = 0.005 vs control group) and lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP, ANOVA, all p < 0.001 vs control, PCB, and PS groups), both of which displayed significant positive correlations with antibacterial defense. Furthermore, exposure to PS-MPs and PCB126, particularly within the co-exposure group, results in a marked decline in the dispersal ability of gut bacteria. This leads to dysbiosis (Adonis, R2 = 0.294, p = 0.001), with remarkable signature taxa such as Janthinobacterium, Microbacterium and Pseudomonas, being implicated in gut barrier dysfunction. This research illuminates the mechanism of gut toxicity induced by PS-MPs and PCB126 combined pollution in earthworms, providing novel insights for the ecological risk assessment of soil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tongtong Li
- Department of Applied Biology, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China
| | - Baohua Xu
- Department of Applied Biology, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China
| | - Hao Chen
- Department of Applied Biology, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China
| | - Ying Shi
- Department of Applied Biology, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China
| | - Jun Li
- Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Natural Product and Functional Food, College of Food Science and Engineering, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China
| | - Mengwei Yu
- Department of Applied Biology, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China
| | - Shaohui Xia
- Department of Applied Biology, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China
| | - Shijin Wu
- Department of Applied Biology, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China.
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24
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Garrison CE, Pachiadaki MG, Soliman S, Helfrich A, Taylor GT. Microbes and microplastics: Community shifts along an urban coastal contaminant gradient. Environ Microbiol 2024; 26:e16563. [PMID: 38151777 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/29/2023]
Abstract
Plastic substrates introduced to the environment during the Anthropocene have introduced new pathways for microbial selection and dispersal. Some plastic-colonising microorganisms have adapted phenotypes for plastic degradation (selection), while the spatial transport (dispersal) potential of plastic colonisers remains controlled by polymer-specific density, hydrography and currents. Plastic-degrading enzyme abundances have recently been correlated with concentrations of plastic debris in open ocean environments, making it critical to better understand colonisation of hydrocarbon degraders with plastic degradation potential in urbanised watersheds where plastic pollution often originates. We found that microbial colonisation by reputed hydrocarbon degraders on microplastics (MPs) correlated with a spatial contaminant gradient (New York City/Long Island waterways), polymer types, temporal scales, microbial domains and putative cell activity (DNA vs. RNA). Hydrocarbon-degrading taxa enriched on polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride substrates relative to other polymers and were more commonly recovered in samples proximal to New York City. These differences in MP colonisation could indicate phenotypic adaptation processes resulting from increased exposure to urban plastic runoff as well as differences in carbon bioavailability across polymer types. Shifts in MP community potential across urban coastal contaminant gradients and polymer types improve our understanding of environmental plastic discharge impacts toward biogeochemical cycling across the global ocean.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cody E Garrison
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | | | | | - Anthony Helfrich
- School of Professional Development, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - Gordon T Taylor
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
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25
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Sababadichetty L, Miltgen G, Vincent B, Guilhaumon F, Lenoble V, Thibault M, Bureau S, Tortosa P, Bouvier T, Jourand P. Microplastics in the insular marine environment of the Southwest Indian Ocean carry a microbiome including antimicrobial resistant (AMR) bacteria: A case study from Reunion Island. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2024; 198:115911. [PMID: 38103498 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115911] [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: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
The increasing threats to ecosystems and humans from marine plastic pollution require a comprehensive assessment. We present a plastisphere case study from Reunion Island, a remote oceanic island located in the Southwest Indian Ocean, polluted by plastics. We characterized the plastic pollution on the island's coastal waters, described the associated microbiome, explored viable bacterial flora and the presence of antimicrobial resistant (AMR) bacteria. Reunion Island faces plastic pollution with up to 10,000 items/km2 in coastal water. These plastics host microbiomes dominated by Proteobacteria (80 %), including dominant genera such as Psychrobacter, Photobacterium, Pseudoalteromonas and Vibrio. Culturable microbiomes reach 107 CFU/g of microplastics, with dominance of Exiguobacterium and Pseudomonas. Plastics also carry AMR bacteria including β-lactam resistance. Thus, Southwest Indian Ocean islands are facing serious plastic pollution. This pollution requires vigilant monitoring as it harbors a plastisphere including AMR, that threatens pristine ecosystems and potentially human health through the marine food chain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loik Sababadichetty
- Université de La Réunion, UMR ENTROPIE, 15 Avenue René Cassin, CS 92003, 97744 Saint Denis Cedex 9, La Réunion, France; CHU, Laboratoire de Bactériologie, CHU Félix Guyon, Allée des Topazes, 97400 Saint-Denis, La Réunion, France
| | - Guillaume Miltgen
- CHU, Laboratoire de Bactériologie, CHU Félix Guyon, Allée des Topazes, 97400 Saint-Denis, La Réunion, France; Université de La Réunion, UMR PIMIT Processus Infectieux en Milieu Insulaire Tropical, CNRS 9192, INSERM 1187, IRD 249, Plateforme de recherche CYROI, 2 rue Maxime Rivière, 97490 Ste Clotilde, La Réunion, France
| | - Bryan Vincent
- CIRAD, UMR040 LSTM, Campus Agro Environnemental Caraïbe, BP 214-97285, Cedex 2 le Lamentin, Martinique, Antilles Françaises, France
| | - François Guilhaumon
- IRD, UMR ENTROPIE, 15 Avenue René Cassin, CS 92003, 97744 Saint Denis Cedex 9, La Réunion, France
| | - Veronique Lenoble
- Université de Toulon, Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, IRD, UMR MIO, 83 Toulon, France
| | - Margot Thibault
- Université de La Réunion, UMR ENTROPIE, 15 Avenue René Cassin, CS 92003, 97744 Saint Denis Cedex 9, La Réunion, France; The Ocean Cleanup, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; CNRS, Université Toulouse III, Laboratoire des Interactions Moléculaires et Réactivité Chimique et Photochimique (IMRCP), UMR 5623, Toulouse, France
| | - Sophie Bureau
- Université de La Réunion, UMR ENTROPIE, 15 Avenue René Cassin, CS 92003, 97744 Saint Denis Cedex 9, La Réunion, France
| | - Pablo Tortosa
- Université de La Réunion, UMR PIMIT Processus Infectieux en Milieu Insulaire Tropical, CNRS 9192, INSERM 1187, IRD 249, Plateforme de recherche CYROI, 2 rue Maxime Rivière, 97490 Ste Clotilde, La Réunion, France
| | - Thierry Bouvier
- UMR MARBEC, Université Montpellier, CNRS, Ifremer, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Philippe Jourand
- IRD, UMR ENTROPIE, 15 Avenue René Cassin, CS 92003, 97744 Saint Denis Cedex 9, La Réunion, France.
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26
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He Y, Deng X, Jiang L, Hao L, Shi Y, Lyu M, Zhang L, Wang S. Current advances, challenges and strategies for enhancing the biodegradation of plastic waste. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 906:167850. [PMID: 37844647 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 10/18/2023]
Abstract
Due to its highly recalcitrant nature, the growing accumulation of plastic waste is becoming an urgent global problem. Biodegradation is one of the best possible approaches for the treatment of plastic waste in an environmentally friendly manner, but our current knowledge on the underlying mechanisms, as well as strategies for the development and enhancement of plastic biodegradation are still limited. This review aims to provide an updated and comprehensive overview of current research on plastic waste biodegradation, focusing on enhancement strategies with ongoing research significance, including the mining of highly efficient plastic-degrading microorganisms/enzymes, utilization of synergistic additives, novel pretreatment approaches, modification via molecular engineering, and construction of bacterial/enzyme consortia systems. Studying these strategies can (i) enrich the high-performance microbial/enzymes toolbox for plastic degradation, (ii) provide methods for recycling and upgrading plastics, as well as (iii) enable further molecular modification and functional optimization of plastic-degrading enzymes to realize economically viable biodegradation of plastics. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first review to discuss in detail strategies to enhance biodegradation of plastics. Finally, some recommendations for future research on plastic biodegradation are listed, hoping to provide the best direction for tackling the plastic waste dilemma in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuehui He
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresources and Environment/Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Marine, Biotechnology, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang 222005, China; Co-Innovation Center of Jiangsu Marine Bio-Industry Technology, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang 222005, China; College of Marine Food and Bioengineering, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang 222005, China
| | - Xilong Deng
- College of Marine Food and Bioengineering, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang 222005, China
| | - Lei Jiang
- College of Marine Food and Bioengineering, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang 222005, China
| | - Lijuan Hao
- College of Marine Food and Bioengineering, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang 222005, China
| | - Yong Shi
- College of Marine Food and Bioengineering, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang 222005, China
| | - Mingsheng Lyu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresources and Environment/Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Marine, Biotechnology, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang 222005, China; Co-Innovation Center of Jiangsu Marine Bio-Industry Technology, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang 222005, China; College of Marine Food and Bioengineering, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang 222005, China
| | - Lei Zhang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresources and Environment/Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Marine, Biotechnology, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang 222005, China; Co-Innovation Center of Jiangsu Marine Bio-Industry Technology, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang 222005, China; College of Marine Food and Bioengineering, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang 222005, China.
| | - Shujun Wang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresources and Environment/Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Marine, Biotechnology, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang 222005, China; Co-Innovation Center of Jiangsu Marine Bio-Industry Technology, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang 222005, China; College of Marine Food and Bioengineering, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang 222005, China.
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27
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Di Pippo F, Bocci V, Amalfitano S, Crognale S, Levantesi C, Pietrelli L, Di Lisio V, Martinelli A, Rossetti S. Microbial colonization patterns and biodegradation of petrochemical and biodegradable plastics in lake waters: insights from a field experiment. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1290441. [PMID: 38125574 PMCID: PMC10731271 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1290441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Once dispersed in water, plastic materials become promptly colonized by biofilm-forming microorganisms, commonly known as plastisphere. Methods By combining DNA sequencing and Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (CLSM), we investigated the plastisphere colonization patterns following exposure to natural lake waters (up to 77 days) of either petrochemical or biodegradable plastic materials (low density polyethylene - LDPE, polyethylene terephthalate - PET, polylactic acid - PLA, and the starch-based MaterBi® - Mb) in comparison to planktonic community composition. Chemical composition, water wettability, and morphology of plastic surfaces were evaluated, through Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and static contact angle analysis, to assess the possible effects of microbial colonization and biodegradation activity. Results and Discussion The phylogenetic composition of plastisphere and planktonic communities was notably different. Pioneering microbial colonisers, likely selected from lake waters, were found associated with all plastic materials, along with a core of more than 30 abundant bacterial families associated with all polymers. The different plastic materials, either derived from petrochemical hydrocarbons (i.e., LDPE and PET) or biodegradable (PLA and Mb), were used by opportunistic aquatic microorganisms as adhesion surfaces rather than carbon sources. The Mb-associated microorganisms (i.e. mostly members of the family Burkholderiaceae) were likely able to degrade the starch residues on the polymer surfaces, although the Mb matrix maintained its original chemical structure and morphology. Overall, our findings provide insights into the complex interactions between aquatic microorganisms and plastic materials found in lake waters, highlighting the importance of understanding the plastisphere dynamics to better manage the fate of plastic debris in the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Di Pippo
- Water Research Institute, CNR-IRSA, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
| | - Valerio Bocci
- Water Research Institute, CNR-IRSA, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
- PhD Program in Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Rome, Italy
| | - Stefano Amalfitano
- Water Research Institute, CNR-IRSA, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
- National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, Italy
| | - Simona Crognale
- Water Research Institute, CNR-IRSA, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
- National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, Italy
| | - Caterina Levantesi
- Water Research Institute, CNR-IRSA, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Valerio Di Lisio
- Donostia International Physics Center, Paseo Manuel de Lardizabal, San Sebastián, Spain
| | | | - Simona Rossetti
- Water Research Institute, CNR-IRSA, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
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28
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Rohrbach S, Gkoutselis G, Hink L, Weig AR, Obst M, Diekmann A, Ho A, Rambold G, Horn MA. Microplastic polymer properties as deterministic factors driving terrestrial plastisphere microbiome assembly and succession in the field. Environ Microbiol 2023; 25:2681-2697. [PMID: 36224114 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Environmental microplastic (MP) is ubiquitous in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems providing artificial habitats for microbes. Mechanisms of MP colonization, MP polymer impacts, and effects on soil microbiomes are largely unknown in terrestrial systems. Therefore, we experimentally tested the hypothesis that MP polymer type is an important deterministic factor affecting MP community assembly by incubating common MP polymer types in situ in landfill soil for 14 months. 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing indicated that MP polymers have specific impacts on plastisphere microbiomes, which are subsets of the soil microbiome. Chloroflexota, Gammaproteobacteria, certain Nitrososphaerota, and Nanoarchaeota explained differences among MP polymers and time points. Plastisphere microbial community composition derived from different MP diverged over time and was enriched in potential pathogens. PICRUSt predictions of pathway abundances and quantitative PCR of functional marker genes indicated that MP polymers exerted an ambivalent effect on genetic potentials of biogeochemical cycles. Overall, the data indicate that (i) polymer type as deterministic factor rather than stochastic factors drives plastisphere community assembly, (ii) MP impacts greenhouse gas metabolism, xenobiotic degradation and pathogen distribution, and (iii) MP serves as an ideal model system for studying fundamental questions in microbial ecology such as community assembly mechanisms in terrestrial environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephan Rohrbach
- Institute of Microbiology, Leibniz University Hannover, Hannover, Germany
| | | | - Linda Hink
- Institute of Microbiology, Leibniz University Hannover, Hannover, Germany
| | - Alfons R Weig
- Genomics and Bioinformatics, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Martin Obst
- Experimental Biogeochemistry, BayCEER, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Astrid Diekmann
- Deutsches Institut für Kautschuktechnologie e.V., Hannover, Germany
| | - Adrian Ho
- Institute of Microbiology, Leibniz University Hannover, Hannover, Germany
| | - Gerhard Rambold
- Department of Mycology, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Marcus A Horn
- Institute of Microbiology, Leibniz University Hannover, Hannover, Germany
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Karkanorachaki K, Syranidou E, Kalogerakis N. Extreme weather events as an important factor for the evolution of plastisphere but not for the degradation process. WATER RESEARCH 2023; 246:120687. [PMID: 37801984 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120687] [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: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/08/2023]
Abstract
Marine plastics, with their negative effects on marine life and the human health, have been recently recognized as a new niche for the colonization and development of marine biofilms. Members of the colonizing communities could possess the potential for plastic biodegradation. Thus, there is an urgent need to characterize these complex and geographically variable communities and elucidate the functionalities. In this work, we characterize the fungal and bacterial colonizers of 5 types of plastic films (High Density Polyethylene, Low Density Polyethylene, Polypropylene, Polystyrene and Polyethylene Terepthalate) over the course of a 242-day incubation in the south-eastern Mediterranean and relate them to the chemical changes observed on the surface of the samples via ATR-FTIR. The 16s rRNA and ITS2 ribosomal regions of the plastisphere communities were sequenced on four time points (35, 152, 202 and 242 days). The selection of the time points was dictated by the occurrence of a severe storm which removed biological fouling from the surface of the samples and initiated a second colonization period. The bacterial communities, dominated by Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes, were the most variable and diverse. Fungal communities, characterized mainly by the presence of Ascomycota, were not significantly affected by the storm. Neither bacterial nor fungal community structure were related to the polymer type acting as substrate, while the surface of the plastic samples underwent weathering of oscillating degrees with time. This work examines the long-term development of Mediterranean epiplastic biofilms and is the first to examine how primary colonization influences the microbial community re-attachment and succession as a response to extreme weather events. Finally, it is one of the few studies to examine fungal communities, despite them containing putative plastic degraders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katerina Karkanorachaki
- School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete, GR-73100, Chania, Greece
| | - Evdokia Syranidou
- School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete, GR-73100, Chania, Greece
| | - Nicolas Kalogerakis
- School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete, GR-73100, Chania, Greece; Institute of GeoEnergy, Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas, GR-73100, Chania, Greece.
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30
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Peñalver R, Pérez-Álvarez MD, Arroyo-Manzanares N, Campillo N, Viñas P. Determination of extractable pollutants from microplastics to vegetables: Accumulation and incorporation into the food chain. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 341:140141. [PMID: 37696477 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.140141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2022] [Revised: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 09/09/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023]
Abstract
The presence and impacts of microplastics (MPs) are being extensively researched and reviewed, especially in the marine environment. However, mobility, transportation routes, and accumulation of leaching compounds such as additives in plastic waste including MPs are scarcely studied. Information regarding ecotoxicity and leachability of compounds related to MPs contamination in the environment is limited. Current work presents the levels of leachates from plastic materials in edible-root and non-edible root vegetables. Samples were analyzed by static headspace and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (SHS-GC-MS) and the presence of 93 putative compounds was accurately monitored in the samples by the usage of Mass Spectrometry-Data Independent Analysis software. The application of chemometrics to the SHS-GC-MS dataset allowed differentiation between the levels of plastic related compounds in edible root and non-edible root vegetables, the former showing a higher content of plastic leachates. For SHS sampling, 3 g of the sample were incubated at 130 °C for 35 min in the HS vial and toluene and naphthalene were added as internal standards for quantification purposes. The developed SHS-GC-MS methodology is straightforward, reliable, and robust and allowed the quantification of sixteen plastic associated compounds in the samples studied in a range from 0.14 to 28800 ng g-1 corresponding to 2,4-di-tert-butylphenol and p,α-dimethylstyrene, respectively. Several of the quantified compounds pointed out to potential contamination of polystyrene and/or polyvinyl chloride MPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosa Peñalver
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, E-30100, Murcia, Spain
| | - María Dolores Pérez-Álvarez
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, E-30100, Murcia, Spain
| | - Natalia Arroyo-Manzanares
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, E-30100, Murcia, Spain
| | - Natalia Campillo
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, E-30100, Murcia, Spain
| | - Pilar Viñas
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, E-30100, Murcia, Spain.
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31
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Guo W, Duan J, Shi Z, Yu X, Shao Z. Biodegradation of PET by the membrane-anchored PET esterase from the marine bacterium Rhodococcus pyridinivorans P23. Commun Biol 2023; 6:1090. [PMID: 37891241 PMCID: PMC10611731 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05470-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Evidence for microbial biodegradation of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) has been reported, but little is known about the PET biodegradation process and molecular mechanism by marine microorganisms. Here, we show the biodegradation of PET by the membrane-anchored PET esterase from the marine bacterium Rhodococcus pyridinivorans P23, elucidate the properties of this enzyme, and propose the PET biodegradation by this strain in biofilm. We identify the PET-degrading enzyme dubbed PET esterase through activity tracking. In addition to depolymerizing PET, it hydrolyzes MHET into TPA under acid conditions. We prove that it is a low and constitutively transcribed, membrane-anchored protein displayed on the cell surface. Furthermore, we also investigate the microbial groups possessing PET esterase coupled with the TPA degradation pathway, mainly in the phyla Proteobacteria and Actinobacteriota. Clarification of the microbial PET biodegradation in the marine environment will contribute to the understanding of bioremediation of marine PET pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenbin Guo
- Key Laboratory of Marine Biogenetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, 361005, Xiamen, Fujian, China.
| | - Jingjing Duan
- College of Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, 361005, Xiamen, Fujian, China.
| | - Zhengguang Shi
- Key Laboratory of Marine Biogenetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, 361005, Xiamen, Fujian, China
- School of Advanced Manufacturing, Fuzhou University, 362251, Jinjiang, China
| | - Xue Yu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Biogenetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, 361005, Xiamen, Fujian, China
- School of Advanced Manufacturing, Fuzhou University, 362251, Jinjiang, China
| | - Zongze Shao
- Key Laboratory of Marine Biogenetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, 361005, Xiamen, Fujian, China
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Leistenschneider D, Wolinski A, Cheng J, Ter Halle A, Duflos G, Huvet A, Paul-Pont I, Lartaud F, Galgani F, Lavergne É, Meistertzheim AL, Ghiglione JF. A critical review on the evaluation of toxicity and ecological risk assessment of plastics in the marine environment. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 896:164955. [PMID: 37348714 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Revised: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023]
Abstract
The increasing production of plastics together with the insufficient waste management has led to massive pollution by plastic debris in the marine environment. Contrary to other known pollutants, plastic has the potential to induce three types of toxic effects: physical (e.g intestinal injuries), chemical (e.g leaching of toxic additives) and biological (e.g transfer of pathogenic microorganisms). This critical review questions our capability to give an effective ecological risk assessment, based on an ever-growing number of scientific articles in the last two decades acknowledging toxic effects at all levels of biological integration, from the molecular to the population level. Numerous biases in terms of concentration, size, shape, composition and microbial colonization revealed how toxicity and ecotoxicity tests are still not adapted to this peculiar pollutant. Suggestions to improve the relevance of plastic toxicity studies and standards are disclosed with a view to support future appropriate legislation.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Leistenschneider
- CNRS, Sorbonne Université, UMR 7621, Laboratoire d'Océanographie Microbienne, Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls, France; SAS Plastic@Sea, Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls, France.
| | - Adèle Wolinski
- SAS Plastic@Sea, Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls, France; Sorbonne Université, CNRS, UMR 8222, Laboratoire d'Écogéochimie des Environnements Benthiques, Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls, France
| | - Jingguang Cheng
- CNRS, Sorbonne Université, UMR 7621, Laboratoire d'Océanographie Microbienne, Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls, France
| | - Alexandra Ter Halle
- CNRS, Université de Toulouse, Laboratoire des Interactions Moléculaires et Réactivité Chimique et Photochimique (IMRCP), UMR, 5623, Toulouse, France
| | - Guillaume Duflos
- Unité Physico-chimie des produits de la pêche et de l'aquaculture, ANSES, Boulogne-sur-Mer, France
| | - Arnaud Huvet
- Univ Brest, Ifremer, CNRS, IRD, LEMAR, F-29280, Plouzané, France
| | - Ika Paul-Pont
- Univ Brest, Ifremer, CNRS, IRD, LEMAR, F-29280, Plouzané, France
| | - Franck Lartaud
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, UMR 8222, Laboratoire d'Écogéochimie des Environnements Benthiques, Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls, France
| | - François Galgani
- Unité Ressources marines en Polynésie Francaise, Institut français de recherche pour l'exploitation de la mer (Ifremer), Vairao, Tahiti, French Polynesia
| | | | | | - Jean-François Ghiglione
- CNRS, Sorbonne Université, UMR 7621, Laboratoire d'Océanographie Microbienne, Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls, France.
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Wang T, Hosseinzadeh M, Cuccagna A, Alakenova R, Casademunt P, Reyes Rovatti A, López-Rubio A, Porte C. Comparative toxicity of conventional versus compostable plastic consumer products: An in-vitro assessment. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2023; 459:132123. [PMID: 37499498 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.132123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2023] [Revised: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
This study investigates the toxicity of methanolic extracts obtained from compostable plastics (BPs) and conventional plastics (both virgin and recycled). Additionally, it explores the potential influence of plastic photodegradation and composting on toxic responses using a battery of in vitro assays conducted in PLHC-1 cells. The extracts of BPs, but not those of conventional plastics, induced a significant decrease in cell viability (<70%) in PLHC-1 cells after 24 h of exposure. Toxicity was enhanced by either photodegradation or composting of BPs. Extracts of conventional plastics, and particularly those of recycled plastics, induced 7-ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity and micronucleus formation in exposed cells, indicating the presence of significant amounts of CYP1A inducers and genotoxic compounds in the extracts, which was enhanced by photodegradation. These findings highlight the importance of investigating the effects of degradation mechanisms such as sunlight and composting on the toxicity of BPs. It is also crucial to investigate the composition of newly developed formulations for BPs, as they may be more harmful than conventional ones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiantian Wang
- Environmental Chemistry Department, IDAEA -CSIC, C/ Jordi Girona, 18-26, Barcelona 08034, Spain.
| | - Mahboubeh Hosseinzadeh
- Environmental Chemistry Department, IDAEA -CSIC, C/ Jordi Girona, 18-26, Barcelona 08034, Spain; Interdisciplinary Platform for Sustainable Plastics towards a Circular Economy, Spanish National Research Council (SusPlast-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Alice Cuccagna
- Environmental Chemistry Department, IDAEA -CSIC, C/ Jordi Girona, 18-26, Barcelona 08034, Spain
| | - Rakhat Alakenova
- Environmental Chemistry Department, IDAEA -CSIC, C/ Jordi Girona, 18-26, Barcelona 08034, Spain
| | - Paula Casademunt
- Environmental Chemistry Department, IDAEA -CSIC, C/ Jordi Girona, 18-26, Barcelona 08034, Spain
| | - Alcira Reyes Rovatti
- Food Safety and Preservation Department, Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology (IATA-CSIC), Valencia, Spain; Interdisciplinary Platform for Sustainable Plastics towards a Circular Economy, Spanish National Research Council (SusPlast-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Amparo López-Rubio
- Food Safety and Preservation Department, Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology (IATA-CSIC), Valencia, Spain; Interdisciplinary Platform for Sustainable Plastics towards a Circular Economy, Spanish National Research Council (SusPlast-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Cinta Porte
- Environmental Chemistry Department, IDAEA -CSIC, C/ Jordi Girona, 18-26, Barcelona 08034, Spain; Interdisciplinary Platform for Sustainable Plastics towards a Circular Economy, Spanish National Research Council (SusPlast-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
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34
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Singleton SL, Davis EW, Arnold HK, Daniels AMY, Brander SM, Parsons RJ, Sharpton TJ, Giovannoni SJ. Identification of rare microbial colonizers of plastic materials incubated in a coral reef environment. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1259014. [PMID: 37869676 PMCID: PMC10585116 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1259014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Plastic waste accumulation in marine environments has complex, unintended impacts on ecology that cross levels of community organization. To measure succession in polyolefin-colonizing marine bacterial communities, an in situ time-series experiment was conducted in the oligotrophic coastal waters of the Bermuda Platform. Our goals were to identify polyolefin colonizing taxa and isolate bacterial cultures for future studies of the biochemistry of microbe-plastic interactions. HDPE, LDPE, PP, and glass coupons were incubated in surface seawater for 11 weeks and sampled at two-week intervals. 16S rDNA sequencing and ATR-FTIR/HIM were used to assess biofilm community structure and chemical changes in polymer surfaces. The dominant colonizing taxa were previously reported cosmopolitan colonizers of surfaces in marine environments, which were highly similar among the different plastic types. However, significant differences in rare community composition were observed between plastic types, potentially indicating specific interactions based on surface chemistry. Unexpectedly, a major transition in community composition occurred in all material treatments between days 42 and 56 (p < 0.01). Before the transition, Alteromonadaceae, Marinomonadaceae, Saccharospirillaceae, Vibrionaceae, Thalassospiraceae, and Flavobacteriaceae were the dominant colonizers. Following the transition, the relative abundance of these taxa declined, while Hyphomonadaceae, Rhodobacteraceae and Saprospiraceae increased. Over the course of the incubation, 8,641 colonizing taxa were observed, of which 25 were significantly enriched on specific polyolefins. Seven enriched taxa from families known to include hydrocarbon degraders (Hyphomonadaceae, Parvularculaceae and Rhodobacteraceae) and one n-alkane degrader (Ketobacter sp.). The ASVs that exhibited associations with specific polyolefins are targets of ongoing investigations aimed at retrieving plastic-degrading microbes in culture.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Edward W. Davis
- Department of Microbiology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States
| | - Holly K. Arnold
- Department of Microbiology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States
| | | | - Susanne M. Brander
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences, Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station, Oregon State University, Newport, OR, United States
| | | | - Thomas J. Sharpton
- Department of Microbiology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States
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35
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Perez-Garcia P, Chow J, Costanzi E, Gurschke M, Dittrich J, Dierkes RF, Molitor R, Applegate V, Feuerriegel G, Tete P, Danso D, Thies S, Schumacher J, Pfleger C, Jaeger KE, Gohlke H, Smits SHJ, Schmitz RA, Streit WR. An archaeal lid-containing feruloyl esterase degrades polyethylene terephthalate. Commun Chem 2023; 6:193. [PMID: 37697032 PMCID: PMC10495362 DOI: 10.1038/s42004-023-00998-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a commodity polymer known to globally contaminate marine and terrestrial environments. Today, around 80 bacterial and fungal PET-active enzymes (PETases) are known, originating from four bacterial and two fungal phyla. In contrast, no archaeal enzyme had been identified to degrade PET. Here we report on the structural and biochemical characterization of PET46 (RLI42440.1), an archaeal promiscuous feruloyl esterase exhibiting degradation activity on semi-crystalline PET powder comparable to IsPETase and LCC (wildtypes), and higher activity on bis-, and mono-(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (BHET and MHET). The enzyme, found by a sequence-based metagenome search, is derived from a non-cultivated, deep-sea Candidatus Bathyarchaeota archaeon. Biochemical characterization demonstrated that PET46 is a promiscuous, heat-adapted hydrolase. Its crystal structure was solved at a resolution of 1.71 Å. It shares the core alpha/beta-hydrolase fold with bacterial PETases, but contains a unique lid common in feruloyl esterases, which is involved in substrate binding. Thus, our study widens the currently known diversity of PET-hydrolyzing enzymes, by demonstrating PET depolymerization by a plant cell wall-degrading esterase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Perez-Garcia
- Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
- Institute for General Microbiology, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Jennifer Chow
- Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Elisa Costanzi
- Center for Structural Studies (CSS), Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Marno Gurschke
- Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jonas Dittrich
- Institute for Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Robert F Dierkes
- Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Rebecka Molitor
- Institute of Molecular Enzyme Technology (IMET), Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Jülich, Germany
| | - Violetta Applegate
- Center for Structural Studies (CSS), Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Golo Feuerriegel
- Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Prince Tete
- Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Dominik Danso
- Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Stephan Thies
- Institute of Molecular Enzyme Technology (IMET), Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Jülich, Germany
| | - Julia Schumacher
- Center for Structural Studies (CSS), Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Christopher Pfleger
- Institute for Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Karl-Erich Jaeger
- Institute of Molecular Enzyme Technology (IMET), Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Jülich, Germany
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences IBG-1: Biotechnology, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
| | - Holger Gohlke
- Institute for Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Institute for Bio- and Geosciences (IBG-4: Bioinformatics), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Sander H J Smits
- Center for Structural Studies (CSS), Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Institute for Biochemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Ruth A Schmitz
- Institute for General Microbiology, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Kiel, Germany.
| | - Wolfgang R Streit
- Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.
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36
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Cai C, Zhu L, Hong B. A review of methods for modeling microplastic transport in the marine environments. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2023; 193:115136. [PMID: 37329736 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Revised: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Microplastic (MP) pollution is ubiquitous in the oceans and poses serious threats to the marine ecosystems. Nowadays numerical modeling has become one of the widely used tools for monitoring and predicting the transport and fate of MP in marine environments. Despite the growing body of research on numerical modeling of marine MP, the advantages and disadvantages of various modeling methods have not received systematic evaluation in published works. Important aspects such as parameterization schemes for MP behaviors, factors influencing MP transport, and proper configuration in beaching are essential for guiding researchers to choose proper methods in their work. For this purpose, we comprehensively reviewed the current knowledge on factors influencing MP transport, classified modeling approaches according to the governing equations, and summarized up-to-date parameterization schemes for MP behaviors. Critical factors such as vertical velocity, biofouling, degradation, fragmentation, beaching, and washing-off were reviewed in the frame of MP transport processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caiyuan Cai
- School of Civil and Transportation Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Liangsheng Zhu
- School of Civil and Transportation Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Bo Hong
- School of Civil and Transportation Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China.
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Quang HHP, Dinh DA, Dutta V, Chauhan A, Lahiri SK, Gopalakrishnan C, Radhakrishnan A, Batoo KM, Thi LAP. Current approaches, and challenges on identification, remediation and potential risks of emerging plastic contaminants: A review. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND PHARMACOLOGY 2023:104193. [PMID: 37348772 DOI: 10.1016/j.etap.2023.104193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2023] [Revised: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023]
Abstract
Plastics are widely employed in modern civilization because of their durability, mold ability, and light weight. In the recent decade, micro/nanoplastics research has steadily increased, highlighting its relevance. However, contaminating micro/nanoplastics in marine environments, terrestrial ecosystems, and biological organisms is considered a severe threat to the environmental system. Geographical distribution, migration patterns, etymologies of formation, and ecological ramifications of absorption are just a few topics covered in the scientific literature on environmental issues. Degradable solutions from material science and chemistry are needed to address the micro/nanoplastics problem, primarily to reduce the production of these pollutants and their potential effects. Removing micro/nanoplastics from their discharge points has been a central and effective way to mitigate the adverse pollution effects. In this review, we begin by discussing the hazardous effect on living beings and the identification-characterization of micro/nanoplastics. Then, we provide a summary of the existing degradation strategies, which include bio-degradation and advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), and a detailed discussion of their degradation mechanisms is also represented. Finally, a persuasive summary of the evaluated work and projections for the future of this topic is provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huy Hoang Phan Quang
- Faculty of Biology and Environment, Ho Chi Minh City University of Food Industry, 140 Le Trong Tan Street, Tay Thanh Ward, Tan Phu District, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Duc Anh Dinh
- VKTech Research Center, NTT Hi-Tech Institute, Nguyen Tat Thanh University, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Viet Nam
| | - Vishal Dutta
- University Centre for Research and Development, Department of Chemistry, Chandigarh University, Gharuan, Mohali, Punjab.
| | - Ankush Chauhan
- Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chettinad Hospital and Research Institute, Chettinad Academy of Research and Education, Kelambakkam-603103, Tamil Nadu, India.
| | - Sudip Kumar Lahiri
- Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, 5 King's College Road, University of Toronto, Canada
| | - C Gopalakrishnan
- Department of Physics and Nanotechnology, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Tamil Nadu, 603203, India
| | - Arunkumar Radhakrishnan
- Department of Pharmacology, Chettinad Hospital and Research Institute, Chettinad Academy of Research and Education, Kelambakkam-603103, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Khalid Mujasam Batoo
- King Abdullah Institute for Nanotechnology, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Lan-Anh Phan Thi
- VNU Key Laboratory of Analytical Technology for Environmental Quality and Food Safety Control (KLATEFOS), University of Science, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, 334 Nguyen Trai, Hanoi, Vietnam; Center for Environmental Technology and Sustainable Development (CETASD), University of Science, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, 334 Nguyen Trai, Hanoi, Vietnam.
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Chen B, Zhang Z, Wang T, Hu H, Qin G, Lu T, Hong W, Hu J, Penuelas J, Qian H. Global distribution of marine microplastics and potential for biodegradation. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2023; 451:131198. [PMID: 36921415 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.131198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 33.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Revised: 03/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Microplastics are a growing marine environmental concern globally due to their high abundance and persistent degradation. We created a global map for predicting marine microplastic pollution using a machine-learning model based on 9445 samples and found that microplastics converged in zones of accumulation in subtropical gyres and near polar seas. The predicted global potential for the biodegradation of microplastics in 1112 metagenome-assembled genomes from 485 marine metagenomes indicated high potential in areas of high microplastic pollution, such as the northern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. However, the limited number of samples hindered our prediction, a priority issue that needs to be addressed in the future. We further identified hosts with microplastic degradation genes (MDGs) and found that Proteobacteria accounted for a high proportion of MDG hosts, mainly Alphaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria, with host-specific patterns. Our study is essential for raising awareness, identifying areas with microplastic pollution, providing a prediction method of machine learning to prioritize surveillance, and identifying the global potential of marine microbiomes to degrade microplastics, providing a reference for selecting bacteria that have the potential to degrade microplastics for further applied research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bingfeng Chen
- College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310032, PR China
| | - Zhenyan Zhang
- College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310032, PR China
| | - Tingzhang Wang
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology and Bioinformatics of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310012, PR China
| | - Hang Hu
- College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310032, PR China
| | - Guoyan Qin
- College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310032, PR China
| | - Tao Lu
- College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310032, PR China
| | - Wenjie Hong
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology and Bioinformatics of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310012, PR China
| | - Jun Hu
- College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310032, PR China
| | - Josep Penuelas
- CSIC, Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CSIC-UAB, Bellaterra, Barcelona 08193, Catalonia, Spain; CREAF, Campus Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona 08193, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Haifeng Qian
- College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310032, PR China.
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Kothawale SS, Kumar L, Singh SP. Role of organisms and their enzymes in the biodegradation of microplastics and nanoplastics: A review. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023:116281. [PMID: 37276977 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.116281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Revised: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Microplastic (MP) and Nanoplastic (NP) contamination have become a critical ecological concern due to their persistent presence in every aspect of the ecosystem and their potentially harmful effects. The current approaches to eradicate these wastes by burning up and dumping adversely impact the environment, while recycling has its own challenges. As a result, applying degradation techniques to eliminate these recalcitrant polymers has been a focus of scientific investigation in the recent past. Biological, photocatalytic, electrocatalytic, and, recently, nanotechnologies have been studied to degrade these polymers. Nevertheless, it is hard to degrade MPs and NPs in the environment, and these degradation techniques are comparatively inefficient and require further development. The recent research focuses on the potential use of microbes to degrade MPs and NPs as a sustainable solution. Therefore, considering the recent advancements in this important research field, this review highlights the utilization of organisms and enzymes for the biodegradation of the MPs and NPs with their probable degradation mechanisms. This review provides insight into various microbial entities and their enzymes for the biodegradation of MPs. In addition, owing to the lack of research on the biodegradation of NPs, the perspective of applying these processes to NPs degradation has also been looked at. Finally, a critical evaluation of the recent development and perspective for future research to improve the effective removal of MPs and NPs in the environment through biodegradation is also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheetal S Kothawale
- Centre for Research in Nanotechnology & Science (CRNTS), Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, 400076, India
| | - Lalit Kumar
- Department of Energy Science and Engineering Department (DESE), Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, 400076, India
| | - Swatantra P Singh
- Centre for Research in Nanotechnology & Science (CRNTS), Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, 400076, India; Environmental Science and Engineering Department (ESED), Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, 400076, India; Interdisciplinary Program in Climate Studies, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, 400076, India.
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40
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Behera S, Das S. Environmental impacts of microplastic and role of plastisphere microbes in the biodegradation and upcycling of microplastic. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 334:138928. [PMID: 37211165 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.138928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2022] [Revised: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Increasing usage of plastic has led to the deposition of plastic in the environment which later become microplastic, a pollutant of global concern. These polymeric particles affect the ecosystem bestowing toxicity and impede the biogeochemical cycles. Besides, microplastic particles have been known for their role in aggravating the effect of various other environmental pollutants including organic pollutants and heavy metals. These microplastic surfaces are often colonized by the microbial communities also known as "plastisphere microbes" forming biofilms. These microbes include cyanobacteria like Nostoc, Scytonema, etc., and diatoms like Navicula, Cyclotella, etc. Which become the primary colonizer. In addition to the autotrophic microbes, Gammaproteobacteria and Alphaproteobacteria dominate the plastisphere microbial community. These biofilm-forming microbes can efficiently degrade the microplastic in the environment by secreting various catabolic enzymes such as lipase, esterase, hydroxylase, etc. Besides, these microbes have shown great potential for the bioconversion of microplastic to polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), an energy efficient and sustainable alternative to the petroleum based plastics. Thus, these microbes can be used for the creation of a circular economy using waste to wealth strategy. This review provides a deeper insight into the distribution, transportation, transformation, and biodegradation of microplastic in the ecosystem. The formation of plastisphere by the biofilm-forming microbes has been described in the article. In addition, the microbial metabolic pathways and genetic regulations involved in the biodegradation have been discussed in detail. The article suggests the microbial bioremediation and upcycling of microplastic along with various other strategies for effectively mitigate the microplastic pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shivananda Behera
- Laboratory of Environmental Microbiology and Ecology (LEnME), Department of Life Science, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, 769 008, Odisha, India
| | - Surajit Das
- Laboratory of Environmental Microbiology and Ecology (LEnME), Department of Life Science, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, 769 008, Odisha, India.
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Mattelin V, Verfaille L, Kundu K, De Wildeman S, Boon N. A New Colorimetric Test for Accurate Determination of Plastic Biodegradation. Polymers (Basel) 2023; 15:polym15102311. [PMID: 37242886 DOI: 10.3390/polym15102311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2023] [Revised: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 05/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
As plastic waste is accumulating in both controlled waste management settings and natural settings, much research is devoted to search for solutions, also in the field of biodegradation. However, determining the biodegradability of plastics in natural environments remains a big challenge due to the often very low biodegradation rates. Many standardised test methods for biodegradation in natural environments exist. These are often based on mineralisation rates in controlled conditions and are thus indirect measurements of biodegradation. It is of interest for both researchers and companies to have tests that are more rapid, easier, and more reliable to screen different ecosystems and/or niches for their plastic biodegradation potential. In this study, the goal is to validate a colorimetric test, based on carbon nanodots, to screen biodegradation of different types of plastics in natural environments. After introducing carbon nanodots into the matrix of the target plastic, a fluorescent signal is released upon plastic biodegradation. The in-house-made carbon nanodots were first confirmed regarding their biocompatibility and chemical and photostability. Subsequently, the effectivity of the developed method was evaluated positively by an enzymatic degradation test with polycaprolactone with Candida antarctica lipase B. Finally, validation experiments were performed with enriched microorganisms and real environmental samples (freshwater and seawater), of which the results were compared with parallel, frequently used biodegradation measures such as O2 and CO2, dissolved organic carbon, growth and pH, to assess the reliability of the test. Our results indicate that this colorimetric test is a good alternative to other methods, but a combination of different methods gives the most information. In conclusion, this colorimetric test is a good fit to screen, in high throughput, the depolymerisation of plastics in natural environments and under different conditions in the lab.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valérie Mattelin
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Lennert Verfaille
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Kankana Kundu
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | | | - Nico Boon
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
- Center for Advanced Process Technology for Urban Resource Recovery (CAPTURE), 9000 Ghent, Belgium
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42
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Ma J, Chen F, Chen CC, Zhang Z, Zhong Z, Jiang H, Pu J, Li Y, Pan K. Comparison between discarded facemask and common plastic waste on microbial colonization and physiochemical properties during aging in seawater. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2023; 455:131583. [PMID: 37201275 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.131583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Revised: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Facemasks are indispensable for preventing the spread of COVID-19. However, improper disposal of discarded facemasks has led to their contamination in the marine environment. To understand the environmental risk of this emerging plastic pollution, it's important to clarify the features that distinguish discarded facemasks from common plastic waste during aging. This study compared the microbial colonization, degradation-related enzymes, and physicochemical properties among surgical masks, polystyrene cups, polycarbonate bottles, and polyethylene terephthalate bottles in their aging processes in natural seawater. Compared to the other plastic wastes, surgical masks were colonized by the most diverse microorganisms, reaching 1521 unique prokaryotic OTUs after 21-day exposure in seawater. Moreover, the activity of eukaryotic enzymes associated with plastic degradation was 80-fold higher than that in seawater, indicating that the colonized eukaryotes would be the major microorganisms degrading the surgical masks. Meanwhile, the nano-sized defects (depth between 8 and 61 nm) would evolve into cracks of bigger sizes and result in the breakage of the microfibers and releasing microplastics into the ocean. Overall, our study demonstrated a distinctive plastisphere occurred in surgical masks from both microbial and physiochemical aspects. This work provides new insights for assessing the potential risk of plastic pollution caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Ma
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, Guangdong, China
| | - Fengyuan Chen
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, Guangdong, China
| | - Ciara Chun Chen
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shantou University, Shantou 515063, Guangdong, China
| | - Zhen Zhang
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, Guangdong, China; Department of Ocean Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China
| | - Zihan Zhong
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, Guangdong, China
| | - Hao Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, Hubei, China
| | - Junbao Pu
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, Hubei, China
| | - Yanping Li
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, Guangdong, China
| | - Ke Pan
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, Guangdong, China.
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Ghiglione JF, Barbe V, Bruzaud S, Burgaud G, Cachot J, Eyheraguibel B, Lartaud F, Ludwig W, Meistertzheim AL, Paul-Pont I, Pesant S, Ter Halle A, Thiebeauld O. Mission Tara Microplastics: a holistic set of protocols and data resources for the field investigation of plastic pollution along the land-sea continuum in Europe. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023:10.1007/s11356-023-26883-9. [PMID: 37140856 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-26883-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
The Tara Microplastics mission was conducted for 7 months to investigate plastic pollution along nine major rivers in Europe-Thames, Elbe, Rhine, Seine, Loire, Garonne, Ebro, Rhone, and Tiber. An extensive suite of sampling protocols was applied at four to five sites on each river along a salinity gradient from the sea and the outer estuary to downstream and upstream of the first heavily populated city. Biophysicochemical parameters including salinity, temperature, irradiance, particulate matter, large and small microplastics (MPs) concentration and composition, prokaryote and microeukaryote richness, and diversity on MPs and in the surrounding waters were routinely measured onboard the French research vessel Tara or from a semi-rigid boat in shallow waters. In addition, macroplastic and microplastic concentrations and composition were determined on river banks and beaches. Finally, cages containing either pristine pieces of plastics in the form of films or granules, and others containing mussels were immersed at each sampling site, 1 month prior to sampling in order to study the metabolic activity of the plastisphere by meta-OMICS and to run toxicity tests and pollutants analyses. Here, we fully described the holistic set of protocols designed for the Mission Tara Microplastics and promoted standard procedures to achieve its ambitious goals: (1) compare traits of plastic pollution among European rivers, (2) provide a baseline of the state of plastic pollution in the Anthropocene, (3) predict their evolution in the frame of the current European initiatives, (4) shed light on the toxicological effects of plastic on aquatic life, (5) model the transport of microplastics from land towards the sea, and (6) investigate the potential impact of pathogen or invasive species rafting on drifting plastics from the land to the sea through riverine systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-François Ghiglione
- CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Laboratoire d'Océanographie Microbienne (LOMIC)/UMR 7621, Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls, Laboratoire d'Océanographie Microbienne, 1 Avenue Fabre, F-66650, Banyuls sur mer, France.
- Research Federation for the Study of Global Ocean Systems Ecology and Evolution, R2022/Tara Oceans-GOSEE, Paris, France.
| | - Valérie Barbe
- Génomique Métabolique, Genoscope, Institut François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, Univ Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, Evry, France
| | - Stéphane Bruzaud
- UMR CNRS 6027, IRDL, Université Bretagne Sud, 56100, Lorient, France
| | - Gaëtan Burgaud
- Univ Brest, INRAE, Laboratoire Universitaire de Biodiversité Et Écologie Microbienne, 29280, Plouzané, France
| | - Jérôme Cachot
- Université Bordeaux, EPOC CNRS, EPHE, Université de Bordeaux, UMR 5805, 33600, Pessac, France
| | - Boris Eyheraguibel
- CNRS, Université Clermont Auvergne, Institut de Chimie de Clermont-Ferrand (ICCF), UMR6296, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Franck Lartaud
- CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Laboratoire d'Ecogéochimie des Environnements Benthiques (LECOB)/UMR 8222, Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls, Banyuls Sur Mer, France
| | - Wolfgang Ludwig
- CEFREM, UMR 5110, University of Perpignan - CNRS, 66860, Perpignan Cedex, France
| | | | - Ika Paul-Pont
- Ifremer, CNRS, IRD, LEMAR, Univ Brest, F-29280, Plouzané, France
| | - Stéphane Pesant
- Research Federation for the Study of Global Ocean Systems Ecology and Evolution, R2022/Tara Oceans-GOSEE, Paris, France
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SD, UK
| | - Alexandra Ter Halle
- CNRS, Laboratoire des InteractionsMoléculaires EtRéactivité Chimique Et Photochimique (IMRCP), UMR 5623, Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France
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Wang Z, Yue Y, Dong X, Zhang M, Gan L, Shao J. Size dependent effects of nanoplastics and microplastics on the nitrogen cycle of microbial flocs. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 324:138351. [PMID: 36898446 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.138351] [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: 12/08/2022] [Revised: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
NANO: and microplastics (NPs/MPs) are a new type of persistent environmental pollutant. Microbial flocs are a type of microbial aggregate commonly used in aquaculture. To investigate the impact of NPs/MPs on microbial flocs with different particle sizes: NPs/MPs-80 nm (M 0.08), NPs/MPs-800 nm (M 0.8), and NPs/MPs-8 μm (M 8), NPs/MPs exposure tests (28 days) and ammonia nitrogen conversion tests (24 h) were conducted. The results showed that the particle size was significantly higher in the M 0.08 group when compared with the control group (C group). The TAN (total ammonia nitrogen) content of each group maintained the order of M 0.08 > M 0.8 > M 8 > C from days 12-20. The nitrite content in the M 0.08 group was significantly higher on day 28 than that in the other groups. In the ammonia nitrogen conversion test, the nitrite content of the C group was significantly lower than that of the NPs/MPs exposure groups. The results suggested that NPs contributed to microbial aggregation and affected microbial colonization. In addition, NPs/MPs exposure could reduce microbial nitrogen cycling capacity, with a size-dependent toxicity difference of NPs > MPs. The findings of this study are expected to fill the research gap on the mechanisms of NPs/MPs' impact on microorganisms and the nitrogen cycle in aquatic ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenlu Wang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction in the Plateau Mountainous Region, Ministry of Education, Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, China; College of Animal Science, Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, China.
| | - Yong Yue
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction in the Plateau Mountainous Region, Ministry of Education, Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, China; College of Animal Science, Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, China
| | - Xianghong Dong
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction in the Plateau Mountainous Region, Ministry of Education, Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, China; College of Animal Science, Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, China
| | - Muzi Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction in the Plateau Mountainous Region, Ministry of Education, Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, China; College of Animal Science, Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, China
| | - Lei Gan
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction in the Plateau Mountainous Region, Ministry of Education, Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, China; College of Animal Science, Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, China
| | - Jian Shao
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction in the Plateau Mountainous Region, Ministry of Education, Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, China; College of Animal Science, Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, China.
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Song X, Ding J, Tian W, Xu H, Zou H, Wang Z. Effects of plastisphere on phosphorus availability in freshwater system: Critical roles of polymer type and colonizing habitat. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 870:161990. [PMID: 36737019 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.161990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Revised: 01/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Biofilm covered microplastics (BMPs) can act as vectors for the transport of exogenous microbial groups to aquatic ecosystem. However, a consensus regarding the formation and development of BMPs and their effect on phosphorus (P) availability has not been reached. Herein, plastic particles made of fuel-based (PET) and biobased polymers (PLA) were deployed in water and hyporheic zones of an urban river for biofilm colonization. Then, BMPs were transferred to lab incubation to study their effects on the P availability. The results showed that different microplastic biofilms had various bacteria and phytoplankton compositions. Additionally, BMPs induced a shift in the microbial co-occurrence patterns co-differentiated by polymer type and colonizing habitats. Network analyses revealed that the structure of PLA BMPs was more robust, while PET colonized in the hyporheic zone reduced network complexity with looser connections between species, and stronger negatively correlated interactions. However, PET formed denser biofilms by the excretion of extracellular polymeric substances from microalgae, which contributed to the better capacity of P utilization. PET colonized in the water/hyporheic zone significantly decreased soluble reactive phosphate by 42.5 % and 30.8 %, respectively. The abovementioned results indicated that BMPs have the potential to disrupt nutrient availability. This study broadens our perspectives for the ecological effects of BMPs in the aquatic environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojun Song
- School of Environmental and Civil Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Jiannan Ding
- School of Environmental and Civil Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Technology and Material of Water Treatment, Suzhou 215009, China; Biomass Energy and Biological Carbon Reduction Engineering Center of Jiangsu Province, Wuxi 214122, China.
| | - Wenqing Tian
- School of Environmental and Civil Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Hui Xu
- School of Environmental and Civil Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Hua Zou
- School of Environmental and Civil Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Technology and Material of Water Treatment, Suzhou 215009, China; Biomass Energy and Biological Carbon Reduction Engineering Center of Jiangsu Province, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Zhenyu Wang
- School of Environmental and Civil Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
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Citterich F, Lo Giudice A, Azzaro M. A plastic world: A review of microplastic pollution in the freshwaters of the Earth's poles. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 869:161847. [PMID: 36709890 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.161847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Revised: 01/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Microplastic (MP) pollution is of great environmental concern. MPs have been found all over the Earth, including in the poles, which is indicative for the important threat they constitute. Yet, while the ocean is object of major interest, the data available in the literature about MP pollution in the freshwaters of the Earth's poles are still limited. Here, we review the current knowledge of MP pollution in the freshwaters of the Arctic, Antarctica and Third Pole, and we assess its ecological implications. This review highlights the presence of MPs in the lakes, rivers, snow, and glaciers of the investigated sites, questions the transport patterns through which MPs reach these remote areas, and illustrates that MP pollution is a real problem not only in marine systems, but also in the freshwater environments of the Earth's poles. MPs can indeed be ingested by animals and can physically damage their digestive tracts, as well as escalate the trophic levels. MPs can also alter microbial communities by serving as surfaces onto which microbes can grow and develop, and can enhance ice melting when trapped in glaciers. Hence, considered the limited data available, we encourage more research on the theme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Citterich
- Institute of Polar Sciences (ISP), National Research Council (CNR-ISP), Spianata S. Raineri 86, 98122 Messina, Italy
| | - Angelina Lo Giudice
- Institute of Polar Sciences (ISP), National Research Council (CNR-ISP), Spianata S. Raineri 86, 98122 Messina, Italy.
| | - Maurizio Azzaro
- Institute of Polar Sciences (ISP), National Research Council (CNR-ISP), Spianata S. Raineri 86, 98122 Messina, Italy
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47
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Tang PM, Habib S, Shukor MYA, Alias SA, Smykla J, Yasid NA. Evaluation of the Deterioration of Untreated Commercial Polystyrene by Psychrotrophic Antarctic Bacterium. Polymers (Basel) 2023; 15:polym15081841. [PMID: 37111988 PMCID: PMC10144070 DOI: 10.3390/polym15081841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Revised: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Polystyrene (PS) and microplastic production pose persistent threats to the ecosystem. Even the pristine Antarctic, which is widely believed to be pollution-free, was also affected by the presence of microplastics. Therefore, it is important to comprehend the extent to which biological agents such as bacteria utilise PS microplastics as a carbon source. In this study, four soil bacteria from Greenwich Island, Antarctica, were isolated. A preliminary screening of the isolates for PS microplastics utilisation in the Bushnell Haas broth was conducted with the shake-flask method. The isolate AYDL1 identified as Brevundimonas sp. was found to be the most efficient in utilising PS microplastics. An assay on PS microplastics utilisation showed that the strain AYDL1 tolerated PS microplastics well under prolonged exposure with a weight loss percentage of 19.3% after the first interval (10 days of incubation). Infrared spectroscopy showed that the bacteria altered the chemical structure of PS while a deformation of the surface morphology of PS microplastics was observed via scanning electron microscopy after being incubated for 40 days. The obtained results may essentially indicate the utilisation of liable polymer additives or "leachates" and thus, validate the mechanistic approach for a typical initiation process of PS microplastics biodeterioration by the bacteria (AYDL1)-the biotic process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pui Mun Tang
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia
| | - Syahir Habib
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia
| | - Mohd Yunus Abd Shukor
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia
| | - Siti Aisyah Alias
- Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences, C308 Institute of Postgraduate Studies, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
- National Antarctic Research Centre, B303 Institute of Postgraduate Studies, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
| | - Jerzy Smykla
- Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, Mickiewicza 33, 31-120 Kraków, Poland
| | - Nur Adeela Yasid
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia
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Zhao L, Dou Q, Chen S, Wang Y, Yang Q, Chen W, Zhang H, Du Y, Xie M. Adsorption abilities and mechanisms of Lactobacillus on various nanoplastics. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 320:138038. [PMID: 36736839 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.138038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Revised: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
As a new type of pollutants, nanoplastics (NPs), which are easily ingested by humans from food wraps, salt, drinking water, have been widely detected in various water environments, and are a threat to human health. It is therefore urgent to develop an efficient method to remove NPs from the diet or relief its harm. In the present study, the possibility of a well-known human probiotic, lactic acid bacteria (LAB), was evaluated to remove NPs from food as an absorbent. The results indicated that LAB from infant feces could efficiently absorb three types NPs, i.e. polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) with the adsorption rates of PP > PE > PVC (PP 78.57%, PE 71.59%, PVC 66.57%) and the Nile red-stained NPs being aggregated on the surfaces of Lactobacillus cells. The smaller the particle size, the stronger the ability of NP adsorption on the cell surface. The hydrophobicity of NPs and bacterial cells affected the adsorption process. The measurement of adsorption rates of different cell components indicated that the overall adsorption effect of cell was better than that of individual cell component. The results of molecular dynamics analysis revealed that adsorption was mainly caused by electrostatic interactions, van der Waals forces, and hydrogen bonds. The hydrophobic interaction was also involved in adsorption process. Overall, this research may provide new information for developing new strategies for NPs removal in intestinal environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lili Zhao
- College of Life Sciences, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, 453007, Henan, China; Henan International Joint Laboratory of Agricultural Microbial Ecology and Technology, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, 453007, China
| | - Qingnan Dou
- College of Life Sciences, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, 453007, Henan, China
| | - Shiyue Chen
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, Henan, China
| | - Yinbin Wang
- College of Life Sciences, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, 453007, Henan, China
| | - Qingxiang Yang
- College of Life Sciences, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, 453007, Henan, China; Henan International Joint Laboratory of Agricultural Microbial Ecology and Technology, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, 453007, China.
| | - Wanrong Chen
- College of Life Sciences, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, 453007, Henan, China
| | - Hao Zhang
- College of Life Sciences, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, 453007, Henan, China
| | - Yirong Du
- College of Life Sciences, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, 453007, Henan, China
| | - Mengfei Xie
- College of Life Sciences, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, 453007, Henan, China
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Yu Y, Miao L, Adyel TM, Waldschläger K, Wu J, Hou J. Aquatic plastisphere: Interactions between plastics and biofilms. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2023; 322:121196. [PMID: 36736560 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Revised: 01/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Because of the high production rates, low recycling rates, and poor waste management of plastics, an increasing amount of plastic is entering the aquatic environment, where it can provide new ecological niches for microbial communities and form a so-called plastisphere. Recent studies have focused on the one-way impact of plastic substrata or biofilm communities. However, our understanding of the two-way interactions between plastics and biofilms is still limited. This review first summarizes the formation process and the co-occurrence network analysis of the aquatic plastisphere to comprehensively illustrate the succession pattern of biofilm communities and the potential consistency between keystone taxa and specific environmental behavior of the plastisphere. Furthermore, this review sheds light on mutual interactions between plastics and biofilms. Plastic properties, environmental conditions, and colonization time affect biofilm development. Meanwhile, the biofilm communities, in turn, influence the environmental behaviors of plastics, including transport, contaminant accumulation, and especially the fragmentation and degradation of plastics. Based on a systematic literature review and cross-referencing from these disciplines, the current research focus, and future challenges in exploring aquatic plastisphere development and biofilm-plastic interactions are proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Yu
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resources Development on Shallow Lakes, Ministry of Education, College of Environment, Hohai University, 210098, Nanjing, People's Republic of China; Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, ETH Zürich, Zurich, 8093, Switzerland
| | - Lingzhan Miao
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resources Development on Shallow Lakes, Ministry of Education, College of Environment, Hohai University, 210098, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.
| | - Tanveer M Adyel
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Melbourne, VIC, 3125, Australia
| | - Kryss Waldschläger
- Hydrology and Quantitative Water Management Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Jun Wu
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resources Development on Shallow Lakes, Ministry of Education, College of Environment, Hohai University, 210098, Nanjing, People's Republic of China
| | - Jun Hou
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resources Development on Shallow Lakes, Ministry of Education, College of Environment, Hohai University, 210098, Nanjing, People's Republic of China
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50
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Landrigan PJ, Raps H, Cropper M, Bald C, Brunner M, Canonizado EM, Charles D, Chiles TC, Donohue MJ, Enck J, Fenichel P, Fleming LE, Ferrier-Pages C, Fordham R, Gozt A, Griffin C, Hahn ME, Haryanto B, Hixson R, Ianelli H, James BD, Kumar P, Laborde A, Law KL, Martin K, Mu J, Mulders Y, Mustapha A, Niu J, Pahl S, Park Y, Pedrotti ML, Pitt JA, Ruchirawat M, Seewoo BJ, Spring M, Stegeman JJ, Suk W, Symeonides C, Takada H, Thompson RC, Vicini A, Wang Z, Whitman E, Wirth D, Wolff M, Yousuf AK, Dunlop S. The Minderoo-Monaco Commission on Plastics and Human Health. Ann Glob Health 2023; 89:23. [PMID: 36969097 PMCID: PMC10038118 DOI: 10.5334/aogh.4056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 53.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Plastics have conveyed great benefits to humanity and made possible some of the most significant advances of modern civilization in fields as diverse as medicine, electronics, aerospace, construction, food packaging, and sports. It is now clear, however, that plastics are also responsible for significant harms to human health, the economy, and the earth's environment. These harms occur at every stage of the plastic life cycle, from extraction of the coal, oil, and gas that are its main feedstocks through to ultimate disposal into the environment. The extent of these harms not been systematically assessed, their magnitude not fully quantified, and their economic costs not comprehensively counted. Goals The goals of this Minderoo-Monaco Commission on Plastics and Human Health are to comprehensively examine plastics' impacts across their life cycle on: (1) human health and well-being; (2) the global environment, especially the ocean; (3) the economy; and (4) vulnerable populations-the poor, minorities, and the world's children. On the basis of this examination, the Commission offers science-based recommendations designed to support development of a Global Plastics Treaty, protect human health, and save lives. Report Structure This Commission report contains seven Sections. Following an Introduction, Section 2 presents a narrative review of the processes involved in plastic production, use, and disposal and notes the hazards to human health and the environment associated with each of these stages. Section 3 describes plastics' impacts on the ocean and notes the potential for plastic in the ocean to enter the marine food web and result in human exposure. Section 4 details plastics' impacts on human health. Section 5 presents a first-order estimate of plastics' health-related economic costs. Section 6 examines the intersection between plastic, social inequity, and environmental injustice. Section 7 presents the Commission's findings and recommendations. Plastics Plastics are complex, highly heterogeneous, synthetic chemical materials. Over 98% of plastics are produced from fossil carbon- coal, oil and gas. Plastics are comprised of a carbon-based polymer backbone and thousands of additional chemicals that are incorporated into polymers to convey specific properties such as color, flexibility, stability, water repellence, flame retardation, and ultraviolet resistance. Many of these added chemicals are highly toxic. They include carcinogens, neurotoxicants and endocrine disruptors such as phthalates, bisphenols, per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), brominated flame retardants, and organophosphate flame retardants. They are integral components of plastic and are responsible for many of plastics' harms to human health and the environment.Global plastic production has increased almost exponentially since World War II, and in this time more than 8,300 megatons (Mt) of plastic have been manufactured. Annual production volume has grown from under 2 Mt in 1950 to 460 Mt in 2019, a 230-fold increase, and is on track to triple by 2060. More than half of all plastic ever made has been produced since 2002. Single-use plastics account for 35-40% of current plastic production and represent the most rapidly growing segment of plastic manufacture.Explosive recent growth in plastics production reflects a deliberate pivot by the integrated multinational fossil-carbon corporations that produce coal, oil and gas and that also manufacture plastics. These corporations are reducing their production of fossil fuels and increasing plastics manufacture. The two principal factors responsible for this pivot are decreasing global demand for carbon-based fuels due to increases in 'green' energy, and massive expansion of oil and gas production due to fracking.Plastic manufacture is energy-intensive and contributes significantly to climate change. At present, plastic production is responsible for an estimated 3.7% of global greenhouse gas emissions, more than the contribution of Brazil. This fraction is projected to increase to 4.5% by 2060 if current trends continue unchecked. Plastic Life Cycle The plastic life cycle has three phases: production, use, and disposal. In production, carbon feedstocks-coal, gas, and oil-are transformed through energy-intensive, catalytic processes into a vast array of products. Plastic use occurs in every aspect of modern life and results in widespread human exposure to the chemicals contained in plastic. Single-use plastics constitute the largest portion of current use, followed by synthetic fibers and construction.Plastic disposal is highly inefficient, with recovery and recycling rates below 10% globally. The result is that an estimated 22 Mt of plastic waste enters the environment each year, much of it single-use plastic and are added to the more than 6 gigatons of plastic waste that have accumulated since 1950. Strategies for disposal of plastic waste include controlled and uncontrolled landfilling, open burning, thermal conversion, and export. Vast quantities of plastic waste are exported each year from high-income to low-income countries, where it accumulates in landfills, pollutes air and water, degrades vital ecosystems, befouls beaches and estuaries, and harms human health-environmental injustice on a global scale. Plastic-laden e-waste is particularly problematic. Environmental Findings Plastics and plastic-associated chemicals are responsible for widespread pollution. They contaminate aquatic (marine and freshwater), terrestrial, and atmospheric environments globally. The ocean is the ultimate destination for much plastic, and plastics are found throughout the ocean, including coastal regions, the sea surface, the deep sea, and polar sea ice. Many plastics appear to resist breakdown in the ocean and could persist in the global environment for decades. Macro- and micro-plastic particles have been identified in hundreds of marine species in all major taxa, including species consumed by humans. Trophic transfer of microplastic particles and the chemicals within them has been demonstrated. Although microplastic particles themselves (>10 µm) appear not to undergo biomagnification, hydrophobic plastic-associated chemicals bioaccumulate in marine animals and biomagnify in marine food webs. The amounts and fates of smaller microplastic and nanoplastic particles (MNPs <10 µm) in aquatic environments are poorly understood, but the potential for harm is worrying given their mobility in biological systems. Adverse environmental impacts of plastic pollution occur at multiple levels from molecular and biochemical to population and ecosystem. MNP contamination of seafood results in direct, though not well quantified, human exposure to plastics and plastic-associated chemicals. Marine plastic pollution endangers the ocean ecosystems upon which all humanity depends for food, oxygen, livelihood, and well-being. Human Health Findings Coal miners, oil workers and gas field workers who extract fossil carbon feedstocks for plastic production suffer increased mortality from traumatic injury, coal workers' pneumoconiosis, silicosis, cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung cancer. Plastic production workers are at increased risk of leukemia, lymphoma, hepatic angiosarcoma, brain cancer, breast cancer, mesothelioma, neurotoxic injury, and decreased fertility. Workers producing plastic textiles die of bladder cancer, lung cancer, mesothelioma, and interstitial lung disease at increased rates. Plastic recycling workers have increased rates of cardiovascular disease, toxic metal poisoning, neuropathy, and lung cancer. Residents of "fenceline" communities adjacent to plastic production and waste disposal sites experience increased risks of premature birth, low birth weight, asthma, childhood leukemia, cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung cancer.During use and also in disposal, plastics release toxic chemicals including additives and residual monomers into the environment and into people. National biomonitoring surveys in the USA document population-wide exposures to these chemicals. Plastic additives disrupt endocrine function and increase risk for premature births, neurodevelopmental disorders, male reproductive birth defects, infertility, obesity, cardiovascular disease, renal disease, and cancers. Chemical-laden MNPs formed through the environmental degradation of plastic waste can enter living organisms, including humans. Emerging, albeit still incomplete evidence indicates that MNPs may cause toxicity due to their physical and toxicological effects as well as by acting as vectors that transport toxic chemicals and bacterial pathogens into tissues and cells.Infants in the womb and young children are two populations at particularly high risk of plastic-related health effects. Because of the exquisite sensitivity of early development to hazardous chemicals and children's unique patterns of exposure, plastic-associated exposures are linked to increased risks of prematurity, stillbirth, low birth weight, birth defects of the reproductive organs, neurodevelopmental impairment, impaired lung growth, and childhood cancer. Early-life exposures to plastic-associated chemicals also increase the risk of multiple non-communicable diseases later in life. Economic Findings Plastic's harms to human health result in significant economic costs. We estimate that in 2015 the health-related costs of plastic production exceeded $250 billion (2015 Int$) globally, and that in the USA alone the health costs of disease and disability caused by the plastic-associated chemicals PBDE, BPA and DEHP exceeded $920 billion (2015 Int$). Plastic production results in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions equivalent to 1.96 gigatons of carbon dioxide (CO2e) annually. Using the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) social cost of carbon metric, we estimate the annual costs of these GHG emissions to be $341 billion (2015 Int$).These costs, large as they are, almost certainly underestimate the full economic losses resulting from plastics' negative impacts on human health and the global environment. All of plastics' economic costs-and also its social costs-are externalized by the petrochemical and plastic manufacturing industry and are borne by citizens, taxpayers, and governments in countries around the world without compensation. Social Justice Findings The adverse effects of plastics and plastic pollution on human health, the economy and the environment are not evenly distributed. They disproportionately affect poor, disempowered, and marginalized populations such as workers, racial and ethnic minorities, "fenceline" communities, Indigenous groups, women, and children, all of whom had little to do with creating the current plastics crisis and lack the political influence or the resources to address it. Plastics' harmful impacts across its life cycle are most keenly felt in the Global South, in small island states, and in disenfranchised areas in the Global North. Social and environmental justice (SEJ) principles require reversal of these inequitable burdens to ensure that no group bears a disproportionate share of plastics' negative impacts and that those who benefit economically from plastic bear their fair share of its currently externalized costs. Conclusions It is now clear that current patterns of plastic production, use, and disposal are not sustainable and are responsible for significant harms to human health, the environment, and the economy as well as for deep societal injustices.The main driver of these worsening harms is an almost exponential and still accelerating increase in global plastic production. Plastics' harms are further magnified by low rates of recovery and recycling and by the long persistence of plastic waste in the environment.The thousands of chemicals in plastics-monomers, additives, processing agents, and non-intentionally added substances-include amongst their number known human carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, neurotoxicants, and persistent organic pollutants. These chemicals are responsible for many of plastics' known harms to human and planetary health. The chemicals leach out of plastics, enter the environment, cause pollution, and result in human exposure and disease. All efforts to reduce plastics' hazards must address the hazards of plastic-associated chemicals. Recommendations To protect human and planetary health, especially the health of vulnerable and at-risk populations, and put the world on track to end plastic pollution by 2040, this Commission supports urgent adoption by the world's nations of a strong and comprehensive Global Plastics Treaty in accord with the mandate set forth in the March 2022 resolution of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA).International measures such as a Global Plastics Treaty are needed to curb plastic production and pollution, because the harms to human health and the environment caused by plastics, plastic-associated chemicals and plastic waste transcend national boundaries, are planetary in their scale, and have disproportionate impacts on the health and well-being of people in the world's poorest nations. Effective implementation of the Global Plastics Treaty will require that international action be coordinated and complemented by interventions at the national, regional, and local levels.This Commission urges that a cap on global plastic production with targets, timetables, and national contributions be a central provision of the Global Plastics Treaty. We recommend inclusion of the following additional provisions:The Treaty needs to extend beyond microplastics and marine litter to include all of the many thousands of chemicals incorporated into plastics.The Treaty needs to include a provision banning or severely restricting manufacture and use of unnecessary, avoidable, and problematic plastic items, especially single-use items such as manufactured plastic microbeads.The Treaty needs to include requirements on extended producer responsibility (EPR) that make fossil carbon producers, plastic producers, and the manufacturers of plastic products legally and financially responsible for the safety and end-of-life management of all the materials they produce and sell.The Treaty needs to mandate reductions in the chemical complexity of plastic products; health-protective standards for plastics and plastic additives; a requirement for use of sustainable non-toxic materials; full disclosure of all components; and traceability of components. International cooperation will be essential to implementing and enforcing these standards.The Treaty needs to include SEJ remedies at each stage of the plastic life cycle designed to fill gaps in community knowledge and advance both distributional and procedural equity.This Commission encourages inclusion in the Global Plastic Treaty of a provision calling for exploration of listing at least some plastic polymers as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) under the Stockholm Convention.This Commission encourages a strong interface between the Global Plastics Treaty and the Basel and London Conventions to enhance management of hazardous plastic waste and slow current massive exports of plastic waste into the world's least-developed countries.This Commission recommends the creation of a Permanent Science Policy Advisory Body to guide the Treaty's implementation. The main priorities of this Body would be to guide Member States and other stakeholders in evaluating which solutions are most effective in reducing plastic consumption, enhancing plastic waste recovery and recycling, and curbing the generation of plastic waste. This Body could also assess trade-offs among these solutions and evaluate safer alternatives to current plastics. It could monitor the transnational export of plastic waste. It could coordinate robust oceanic-, land-, and air-based MNP monitoring programs.This Commission recommends urgent investment by national governments in research into solutions to the global plastic crisis. This research will need to determine which solutions are most effective and cost-effective in the context of particular countries and assess the risks and benefits of proposed solutions. Oceanographic and environmental research is needed to better measure concentrations and impacts of plastics <10 µm and understand their distribution and fate in the global environment. Biomedical research is needed to elucidate the human health impacts of plastics, especially MNPs. Summary This Commission finds that plastics are both a boon to humanity and a stealth threat to human and planetary health. Plastics convey enormous benefits, but current linear patterns of plastic production, use, and disposal that pay little attention to sustainable design or safe materials and a near absence of recovery, reuse, and recycling are responsible for grave harms to health, widespread environmental damage, great economic costs, and deep societal injustices. These harms are rapidly worsening.While there remain gaps in knowledge about plastics' harms and uncertainties about their full magnitude, the evidence available today demonstrates unequivocally that these impacts are great and that they will increase in severity in the absence of urgent and effective intervention at global scale. Manufacture and use of essential plastics may continue. However, reckless increases in plastic production, and especially increases in the manufacture of an ever-increasing array of unnecessary single-use plastic products, need to be curbed.Global intervention against the plastic crisis is needed now because the costs of failure to act will be immense.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip J. Landrigan
- Global Observatory on Planetary Health, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, US
- Centre Scientifique de Monaco, Medical Biology Department, MC
| | - Hervé Raps
- Centre Scientifique de Monaco, Medical Biology Department, MC
| | - Maureen Cropper
- Economics Department, University of Maryland, College Park, US
| | - Caroline Bald
- Global Observatory on Planetary Health, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, US
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Patrick Fenichel
- Université Côte d’Azur
- Centre Hospitalier, Universitaire de Nice, FR
| | - Lora E. Fleming
- European Centre for Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter Medical School, UK
| | | | | | | | - Carly Griffin
- Global Observatory on Planetary Health, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, US
| | - Mark E. Hahn
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, US
- Woods Hole Center for Oceans and Human Health, US
| | - Budi Haryanto
- Department of Environmental Health, Universitas Indonesia, ID
- Research Center for Climate Change, Universitas Indonesia, ID
| | - Richard Hixson
- College of Medicine and Health, University of Exeter, UK
| | - Hannah Ianelli
- Global Observatory on Planetary Health, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, US
| | - Bryan D. James
- Department of Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
- Department of Biology, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, US
| | | | - Amalia Laborde
- Department of Toxicology, School of Medicine, University of the Republic, UY
| | | | - Keith Martin
- Consortium of Universities for Global Health, US
| | - Jenna Mu
- Global Observatory on Planetary Health, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, US
| | | | - Adetoun Mustapha
- Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Lagos, Nigeria
- Lead City University, NG
| | - Jia Niu
- Department of Chemistry, Boston College, US
| | - Sabine Pahl
- University of Vienna, Austria
- University of Plymouth, UK
| | | | - Maria-Luiza Pedrotti
- Laboratoire d’Océanographie de Villefranche sur mer (LOV), Sorbonne Université, FR
| | | | | | - Bhedita Jaya Seewoo
- Minderoo Foundation, AU
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, AU
| | | | - John J. Stegeman
- Biology Department and Woods Hole Center for Oceans and Human Health, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, US
| | - William Suk
- Superfund Research Program, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, US
| | | | - Hideshige Takada
- Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry (LOG), Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, JP
| | | | | | - Zhanyun Wang
- Technology and Society Laboratory, WEmpa-Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials and Technology, CH
| | - Ella Whitman
- Global Observatory on Planetary Health, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, US
| | | | | | - Aroub K. Yousuf
- Global Observatory on Planetary Health, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, US
| | - Sarah Dunlop
- Minderoo Foundation, AU
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, AU
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