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Evaluating the adaptive mechanisms and remediation strategies of microalgae against nanoplastics
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This review summarizes existing research on how microalgae, tiny water plants at the base of the food chain, interact with nanoplastics. Microalgae can trap or partially break down these particles, which matters because whatever they absorb can travel up the food chain to fish and eventually to us. The findings suggest microalgae could help clean up nanoplastic pollution, though more research is needed before this works outside the lab.
Nanoplastics (NPs) have emerged as hazardous contaminants owing to their ability to cross biological membranes, induces oxidative and genotoxic stress, and facilitate trophic transfer, increasing ecological vulnerability, underscoring the need for sustainable mitigation strategies. As the primary photosynthetic producers and foundation of aquatic food webs, microalgae constitute the first biological interface encountered by NPs and govern their environmental fate, bioavailability, and trophic transfer. Despite this ecological significance, current knowledge remains focused separately on toxicity, physiological responses or remediation potential. Henceforth, this review provides a mechanistic evaluation of microalgae NPs interactions to establish a unified framework linking NPs uptake, cellular stress responses, adaptation mechanisms, and mitigation processes. Mitigation begins through adsorption, heteroaggregation, and eco-corona formation, reducing NPs bioavailability. Upon internalisation, NPs impair photosynthesis and cellular metabolism, inducing ROS signalling, antioxidant responses, and metabolic reprogramming that promotes sequestration and detoxification. Beyond toxicity assessment, the review critically evaluates emerging evidence for NPs transformation and degradation mediated by microalgal oxidative and hydrolytic enzymes, such as esterases, lipases, oxygenases, and peroxidases. However, emerging evidence mainly supports surface deterioration and sequestration, rather than definitive mineralisation. Uncertainties regarding degradation pathways, transformation products, and their ecological significance remain a major barrier in translating algal-based NPs mitigation from laboratory to pilot scale. Furthermore, this review assesses the opportunities and limitations of omics and genetics driven strategies for enhancing phycoremediation efficiency. Finally, this review proposes a waste-to-wealth framework integrating phycoremediation of NPs, carbon sequestration, and biomass valorisation, while providing a state-of-the-art mechanistic perspective on NPs fate, transformation, and sustainable remediation.
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This review summarized evidence on how nanoplastics affect microalgae — including growth inhibition, oxidative stress, and altered photosynthesis — and examined trophic transfer of nanoplastics up the food chain, finding that toxicity depended on NP concentration, size, and surface charge.
Ecotoxicity of micro- and nanoplastics on aquatic algae: Facts, challenges, and future opportunities
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This review provides a comprehensive assessment of how micro- and nanoplastics harm aquatic algae, which form the base of ocean and freshwater food chains. The toxic effects include reduced growth, oxidative stress, and disrupted photosynthesis, with nanoplastics generally causing more damage than larger particles. Since algae support the entire aquatic food web, their decline from plastic pollution could reduce the quality and safety of fish and shellfish consumed by people.
Microplastics – An emerging contaminants for algae. Critical review and perspectives
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This review examines how microplastics and nanoplastics affect algae, which are the foundation of aquatic food chains. Microplastics can reduce algae growth, disrupt photosynthesis, and cause oxidative stress, with smaller nanoplastics being more harmful. Since algae are at the base of the food web, damage to them can ripple through ecosystems and ultimately affect the seafood that humans consume.
Microalgal Bioremediation of Microplastics: Current Advances, Challenges and Environmental Applications
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Tiny plastic particles called microplastics are everywhere in our water and food, and they're small enough to slip into our cells and tissues, raising health concerns. This review paper looks at how microscopic algae might help clean up the problem—by trapping plastic particles, sticking to them and sinking them out of the water, or even breaking them down using natural enzymes. While this is still an emerging area of research rather than a ready-to-use solution, it points to a promising, eco-friendly way to reduce the amount of plastic pollution that ends up in our water, food, and ultimately our bodies.
Recent Advances in Micro-/Nanoplastic (MNPs) Removal by Microalgae and Possible Integrated Routes of Energy Recovery
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This review examined the interactions between micro- and nanoplastics and microalgae, covering how microalgae are affected by plastic particles and how they can in turn be used to remove plastics from aquatic environments. The authors identify microalgae-based systems as promising tools for combined plastic removal and biomass production.
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