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Nanoplastic Aggregation Driven by Environmental Components Reshapes Hormone Signaling and Energy Metabolism in Lactuca sativa
Summary
Researchers found that environmentally driven aggregation of nanoplastics governs their toxicity to lettuce, with large aggregates causing up to 71% increases in oxidative stress markers and significant growth inhibition while small or dispersed aggregates produced only mild adaptive responses—showing that aggregate size, not just concentration, must be factored into ecological risk assessments.
increased by up to 71.0%) and growth inhibition, whereas dispersed or small aggregates (Dh ≈ 160 nm) elicited only mild adaptive stress responses. Integrated metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses revealed aggregation-dependent molecular responses, with large aggregates triggering a defense-prioritized regulatory shift. Thus, environmental component-mediated aggregation governs plant toxicity and should be considered in practical risk assessments.