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Interfacial behaviors and synergistic migration mechanisms of antibiotics and resistance genes during microplastic aging: A review of recent advances
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As microplastics break down in the environment, their surfaces change in ways that make them better at picking up antibiotics and antibiotic-resistant bacteria genes, essentially turning them into "hitchhiker vehicles" for these hard-to-treat contaminants. This review of existing research explains how weathered microplastics create ideal surfaces for bacteria to swap resistance genes with each other, which could help spread antibiotic resistance—a growing public health threat—through water, soil, and potentially our bodies. Understanding this process matters because it helps scientists predict where these contaminated microplastics travel and how they might eventually be released
Microplastics (MPs) serve as critical vectors for antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). The transport and fate of these co-pollutants are governed by the dynamic evolution of MP interfacial physicochemical properties during aging. This review synthesizes the interfacial behaviors and synergistic migration mechanisms of antibiotics and ARGs associated with aged MPs. Abiotic weathering (photo-oxidation and mechanical abrasion) and biological colonization reshape MP surfaces. The resulting oxygen-containing functional groups and extracellular polymeric substances alter particle polarity, charge density, and roughness. Macroscopic adsorption kinetics and microscopic theoretical calculations, including density functional theory and molecular dynamics simulations, reveal a mechanistic shift in antibiotic adsorption. As aging progresses, the dominant interaction transitions from hydrophobic partitioning to a synergistic combination of electrostatic attraction, hydrogen bonding, π-π interactions, and pore-filling, corroborated by interfacial binding energy changes at the electronic structure level. Within the plastisphere microenvironment, MPs facilitate the horizontal gene transfer of ARGs. This dissemination is driven by the co-selection of accumulated pollutants, high-density cellular contact within biofilms, physical entrapment of extracellular DNA, and reactive oxygen species-induced oxidative stress. The subsequent environmental transport and biological release of these composite pollutants depend on their colloidal stability in complex matrices and desorption kinetics in biofluids, regulated primarily by pH gradients, ionic strength variations, and protein corona displacement via the Vroman effect. By elucidating these coupled mechanisms across scales ranging from macroscopic environmental matrices to microscopic quantum chemistry, this review establishes a rigorous theoretical framework for assessing the ecological risks of microplastic-associated composite pollution.
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This review examines how microplastics in the environment serve as carriers for antibiotic resistance genes, enriching and spreading resistant bacteria across air, soil, water, and sediments. Researchers found that the type, surface characteristics, and aging of microplastics all influence how effectively they accumulate resistance genes and facilitate horizontal gene transfer. The findings highlight the need to consider microplastics as an important vector in the environmental spread of antibiotic resistance.
Microplastics and antibiotic resistance genes as rising threats: Their interaction represents an urgent environmental concern
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This review examines how microplastics interact with antibiotics and antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the environment, creating a combined pollution threat. Microplastics can absorb antibiotics onto their surface and serve as platforms where bacteria exchange resistance genes. This interaction could accelerate the spread of antibiotic resistance, making infections harder to treat and posing a growing public health risk.
Aged Microplastics and Antibiotic Resistance Genes: A Review of Aging Effects on Their Interactions
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This review explores how the aging of microplastics in the environment affects their ability to harbor antibiotic resistance genes. Researchers found that weathering processes like sunlight exposure increase the surface area of microplastics and generate reactive oxygen species, both of which can enhance the uptake and transfer of resistance genes among bacteria. The findings suggest that aged microplastics in the environment may be more effective at spreading antibiotic resistance than fresh ones.
Unraveling the effect of micro/nanoplastics on the occurrence and horizontal transfer of environmental antibiotic resistance genes: Advances, mechanisms and future prospects
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This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics promote the spread of antibiotic resistance genes in the environment. The tiny plastic particles create conditions that help bacteria exchange resistance genes more easily by generating oxidative stress, making cell membranes more permeable, and providing surfaces where resistant bacteria can form communities. This is a growing public health concern because antibiotic-resistant infections are increasingly difficult to treat.
From Interface to Cell: The Complex Interaction and Transfer Process Coupling Mechanism between Microplastics and Antibiotic Resistance Genes
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Researchers examined how microplastic surfaces act as vectors for spreading antibiotic resistance genes in wastewater treatment systems. The study found that aged microplastics of PET, PE, and PP promoted bacterial adhesion, enhanced horizontal gene transfer, and triggered overproduction of reactive oxygen species, ultimately amplifying the spread of antimicrobial resistance through multiple molecular mechanisms.
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