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Tire wear particle and leachate induce oxidative stress and reshape the rice rhizosphere soil system: Multi-omics evidence of tissue-specific phytotoxicity
Summary
Tiny particles that wear off car and truck tires are washing into soil and, this study finds, they can stress rice plants at high concentrations—damaging roots, disrupting their internal chemistry, and shifting the balance of soil microbes that plants depend on. Since rice is a staple food for billions, this raises questions about whether tire pollution building up in farmland soils could eventually affect crop health and food supplies, making it an environmental issue worth watching even though this study didn't directly test human health effects.
Tire wear particles (TWPs) are an emerging environmental contaminant of global concern, yet their impacts on terrestrial systems remain poorly characterized. This study investigated the phytotoxic effects of TWPs and tire leachate (TL) on rice paddy seedlings through an integrated analysis of soil properties, microbial diversity, and plant physiology. Rice seedlings were exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations (0.1-10 g/kg soil) and TL solution (1-100%) for 28 days. Results revealed contrasting dose-response patterns: while low concentrations stimulated growth, high-dose TP significantly inhibited development and altered photosynthetic pigments concentrations. Root tissues exhibited substantial oxidative stress, characterized by significant malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation. High-throughput 16S rRNA sequencing showed a restructuring of the soil microbial community, with TL exposure shifting dominant taxa toward phyla associated with the degradation of complex organic compounds. Structural integration via partial least squares path modeling (PLS-PM) achieved a Goodness of Fit (GoF) of 0.67, confirming a robust statistical link between tire-derived contamination and biological decline. Crucially, targeted metabolomics revealed tissue-specific metabolic reprogramming. Roots showed greater sensitivity than leaves, marked by the accumulation of stress-related amino acids (e.g., proline and GABA) and the depletion of key TCA cycle intermediates (e.g., malic and succinic acid). This indicated a metabolic shift from primary growth toward oxidative defense and energy compensation. These findings demonstrate that tire-derived contaminants pose a significant risk to the soil-plant-microbe system, highlighting root oxidative health and metabolic stability as critical endpoints for assessing the impact of traffic-related pollution on terrestrial productivity.