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Gut & Microbiome
Remediation
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Molecular-Weight-Dependent Degradation of Plastics: Deciphering Host–Microbiome Synergy Biodegradation of High-Purity Polypropylene Microplastics by Mealworms
Environmental Science & Technology2024
45 citations
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Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count.
Score: 60
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0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
Lei He,
Wei‐Min Wu
Lei He,
Lei He,
Lei He,
Lei He,
Lei He,
Shan-Shan Yang,
Lei He,
Defeng Xing,
Wei‐Min Wu
Wei‐Min Wu
Wei‐Min Wu
Jie Ding,
Jie Ding,
Jie Ding,
Jie Ding,
Jie Ding,
Shan-Shan Yang,
Lei He,
Lei He,
Lei He,
Lei He,
Lei He,
Lei He,
Lei He,
Lei He,
Wei‐Min Wu
Lei He,
Jie Ding,
Lei He,
Lei He,
Lei He,
Jie Ding,
Shan-Shan Yang,
Shan-Shan Yang,
Shan-Shan Yang,
Shan-Shan Yang,
Shan-Shan Yang,
Ji-Wei Pang,
Lei He,
Jie Ding,
Wei‐Min Wu
Nanqi Ren,
Wei‐Min Wu
Ji-Wei Pang,
Lei He,
Nanqi Ren,
Lei He,
Lei He,
Ya-Ni Zang,
Nanqi Ren,
Ji-Wei Pang,
Ji-Wei Pang,
Ya-Ni Zang,
Wei‐Min Wu
Lei He,
Nanqi Ren,
Lei He,
Lei He,
Lei He,
Nanqi Ren,
Lei He,
Lei He,
Ji-Wei Pang,
Wei‐Min Wu
Wei‐Min Wu
Wei‐Min Wu
Ji-Wei Pang,
Wei‐Min Wu
Wei‐Min Wu
Wei‐Min Wu
Ya-Ni Zang,
Wei‐Min Wu
Ji-Wei Pang,
Nanqi Ren,
Ji-Wei Pang,
Wei‐Min Wu
Ji-Wei Pang,
Nanqi Ren,
Nanqi Ren,
Defeng Xing,
Defeng Xing,
Lei He,
Lei He,
Lei He,
Shan-Shan Yang,
Shan-Shan Yang,
Jie Ding,
Ji-Wei Pang,
Ji-Wei Pang,
Ji-Wei Pang,
Ya-Ni Zang,
Shan-Shan Yang,
Shan-Shan Yang,
Lei He,
Lei He,
Nanqi Ren,
Shan-Shan Yang,
Defeng Xing,
Nanqi Ren,
Defeng Xing,
Defeng Xing,
Defeng Xing,
Wei‐Min Wu
Defeng Xing,
Nanqi Ren,
Nanqi Ren,
Wei‐Min Wu
Ji-Wei Pang,
Defeng Xing,
Nanqi Ren,
Defeng Xing,
Defeng Xing,
Ji-Wei Pang,
Wei‐Min Wu
Wei‐Min Wu
Wei‐Min Wu
Wei‐Min Wu
Nanqi Ren,
Lu-Yan Zhang,
Nanqi Ren,
Nanqi Ren,
Nanqi Ren,
Nanqi Ren,
Wei‐Min Wu
Defeng Xing,
Defeng Xing,
Nanqi Ren,
Nanqi Ren,
Nanqi Ren,
Nanqi Ren,
Nanqi Ren,
Shan-Shan Yang,
Wei‐Min Wu
Wei‐Min Wu
Ji-Wei Pang,
Wei‐Min Wu
Wei‐Min Wu
Shan-Shan Yang,
Nanqi Ren,
Wei‐Min Wu
Wei‐Min Wu
Nanqi Ren,
Ji-Wei Pang,
Wei‐Min Wu
Lu-Yan Zhang,
Ji-Wei Pang,
Defeng Xing,
Defeng Xing,
Nanqi Ren,
Ji-Wei Pang,
Ji-Wei Pang,
Lei He,
Defeng Xing,
Wei‐Min Wu
Nanqi Ren,
Nanqi Ren,
Wei‐Min Wu
Jie Ding,
Defeng Xing,
Shan-Shan Yang,
Nanqi Ren,
Shan-Shan Yang,
Shan-Shan Yang,
Defeng Xing,
Wei‐Min Wu
Nanqi Ren,
Wei‐Min Wu
Nanqi Ren,
Lei He,
Wei‐Min Wu
Ji-Wei Pang,
Nanqi Ren,
Wei‐Min Wu
Defeng Xing,
Ji-Wei Pang,
Wei‐Min Wu
Nanqi Ren,
Nanqi Ren,
Nanqi Ren,
Defeng Xing,
Nanqi Ren,
Lei He,
Wei‐Min Wu
Wei‐Min Wu
Wei‐Min Wu
Nanqi Ren,
Shan-Shan Yang,
Shan-Shan Yang,
Nanqi Ren,
Jie Ding,
Wei‐Min Wu
Summary
Researchers confirmed that mealworms can biodegrade polypropylene, one of the most common and persistent plastics, by working together with their gut bacteria. The study found that the worms could break down polypropylene across a range of molecular weights, though higher molecular weight plastics were harder to process. This biological degradation approach is promising for addressing microplastic pollution, as polypropylene is a major source of microplastics found in food, water, and human tissue.
The biodegradation of polypropylene (PP), a highly persistent nonhydrolyzable polymer, by <i>Tenebrio molitor</i> has been confirmed using commercial PP microplastics (MPs) (<i>M</i><sub>n</sub> 26.59 and <i>M</i><sub>w</sub> 187.12 kDa). This confirmation was based on the reduction of the PP mass, change in molecular weight (MW), and a positive Δδ<sup>13</sup>C in the residual PP. A MW-dependent biodegradation mechanism was investigated using five high-purity PP MPs, classified into low (0.83 and 6.20 kDa), medium (50.40 and 108.0 kDa), and high (575.0 kDa) MW categories to access the impact of MW on the depolymerization pattern and associated gene expression of gut bacteria and the larval host. The larvae can depolymerize/biodegrade PP polymers with high MW although the consumption rate and weight losses increased, and survival rates declined with increasing PP MW. This pattern is similar to observations with polystyrene (PS) and polyethylene (PE), <i>i.e</i>., both <i>M</i><sub>n</sub> and <i>M</i><sub>w</sub> decreased after being fed low MW PP, while <i>M</i><sub>n</sub> and/or <i>M</i><sub>w</sub> increased after high MW PP was fed. The gut microbiota exhibited specific bacteria associations, such as <i>Kluyvera</i> sp. and <i>Pediococcus</i> sp. for high MW PP degradation, <i>Acinetobacter</i> sp. for medium MW PP, and <i>Bacillus</i> sp. alongside three other bacteria for low MW PP metabolism. In the host transcriptome, digestive enzymes and plastic degradation-related bacterial enzymes were up-regulated after feeding on PP depending on different MWs. The <i>T. molitor</i> host exhibited both defensive function and degradation capability during the biodegradation of plastics, with high MW PP showing a relatively negative impact on the larvae.