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Mechanistic insight into the photoconversion of losartan potassium mediated by different types of microplastics
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This study found that different types of microplastics — polystyrene, PET, and PLA — have distinct effects on how a common blood pressure drug (losartan) breaks down when exposed to sunlight in water, with aged and weathered microplastics generally accelerating the drug's transformation into unknown byproducts. This matters because microplastics and pharmaceutical pollutants commonly co-occur in water bodies, and their interactions could produce new contaminants with unpredictable health effects.
Nowadays the proliferation of microplastics (MPs) in aquatic environments and impacts on the fate of organic contaminants (OCs) has drawn sustained worldwide attention. In this study, we investigated the effects of different types and aging degrees of MPs, specifically polystyrene (PSMPs), polyethylene terephthalate (PETMPs), and polylactic acid (PLAMPs), on the photo-transformation of LSTPs. Our results revealed that the facilitation of LSTP photoconversion by PSMPs exhibited a positive linear relationship with aging degree. On the other hand, the effects of PETMPs with different oxidation levels on LSTP photoconversion were weak, while the contribution of PLAMPs decreased as aging increased. Characterizations, quenching and probing experiments showed the aging mechanisms and the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) converged among various MPs. Specifically, theoretical calculations, TOC and GC-MS were conducted to verify that in the PLA-mediated systems, it was the intermediates of PLA that prevailed in promoting the photoconversion of LSTP. The aged PLA own have a large propensity to consume ROS, which diminished their promotion of LSTP degradation. This differd from the reactions involving PSMPs and PETMPs, where the microplastic particles themselves were the main drivers of the photoconversion process rather than intermediates.
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Effect of microplastics on the photodegradation of high-consumption drugs under simulated sunlight: The critical role of aging and reactive oxygen species
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Researchers evaluated how polypropylene, polylactic acid, and PET microplastics act as photosensitizers affecting the sunlight-driven degradation of commonly consumed pharmaceutical drugs. The study found that the aging state of microplastics and the reactive oxygen species they generate play critical roles in influencing drug breakdown rates in the environment.
Combination of microplastics-derived DOM with natural humic/fulvic acids accelerates atorvastatin photodegradation in freshwater environments
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When microplastics break down in water, they release substances that team up with natural organic matter to break down a common cholesterol drug (atorvastatin) faster when exposed to sunlight. This suggests microplastic pollution could change how medications behave in rivers and lakes, though scientists don't yet know if this is good or bad for ecosystems or human health.
Aging of Polystyrene Micro/Nanoplastics Enhances Cephalosporin Phototransformation via Structure-Sensitive Interfacial Hydrogen Bonding
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Researchers found that aged polystyrene micro and nanoplastics significantly speed up the breakdown of common antibiotics (cephalosporins) in water when exposed to sunlight. The aged plastic surfaces generate reactive chemicals that attack the antibiotics, and the effect depends on how the antibiotic molecule binds to the plastic surface. This is important because it shows microplastics can actively change the chemical environment around them, potentially affecting how pollutants behave in waterways.
Photoaged polystyrene microplastics serve as photosensitizers that enhance cimetidine photolysis in an aqueous environment
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Photoaged polystyrene microplastics were found to act as photosensitizers that enhanced the photodegradation of the pharmaceutical cimetidine in water under simulated sunlight, with microplastics aged for 5 days showing the highest photosensitizing activity.
Enhanced phototransformation of atorvastatin by polystyrene microplastics: Critical role of aging
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Polystyrene microplastics facilitated the phototransformation of atorvastatin under simulated sunlight, and the enhancement rate was linearly correlated with microplastic aging degree (carbonyl index), driven by increased reactive oxygen species generation from oxygen-containing functional groups on weathered MPs.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.