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Photoaging of biodegradable nanoplastics regulates their toxicity to aquatic insects (Chironomus kiinensis) by impairing gut and disrupting intestinal microbiota

Environment International 2024 22 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 65 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.

Jie Zhang, Jie Zhang, Jie Zhang, Jie Zhang, Jie Zhang, Jie Zhang, Jie Zhang, Jie Zhang, Xinghui Xia, Jie Zhang, Yang Li, Yang Li, Yang Li, Yao Li, Xinghui Xia, Xinghui Xia, Yang Li, Yang Li, Yao Li, Yang Li, Xinghui Xia, Zhifeng Yang Yang Li, Yang Li, Jie Zhang, Xinghui Xia, Jie Zhang, Yang Li, Yang Li, Yang Li, Yang Li, Jie Zhang, Jie Zhang, Zhifeng Yang Zhifeng Yang Zhifeng Yang Zhifeng Yang Zhifeng Yang, Zhifeng Yang, Zhifeng Yang, Wei Huang, Yao Li, Yang Li, Xinghui Xia, Yang Li, Xinghui Xia, Jie Zhang, Yang Li, Yang Li, Xiaohan Lin, Yao Li, Xiaohan Lin, Xinghui Xia, Jie Zhang, Xinghui Xia, Yang Li, Yao Li, Yang Li, Xinghui Xia, Yang Li, Xiaohan Lin, Xiaohan Lin, Yao Li, Yao Li, Yang Li, Xinghui Xia, Jie Zhang, Jie Zhang, Zhifeng Yang Zhifeng Yang Xiaohan Lin, Zhifeng Yang, Zhifeng Yang Zhifeng Yang Zhifeng Yang Zhifeng Yang Zhifeng Yang Zhifeng Yang Jie Zhang, Xinghui Xia, Xinghui Xia, Yang Li, Yang Li, Yang Li, Yang Li, Yao Li, Yao Li, Yao Li, Yao Li, Zhifeng Yang, Zhifeng Yang, Zhifeng Yang, Zhifeng Yang, Zhifeng Yang, Yang Li, Yang Li, Yao Li, Zhifeng Yang, Zhifeng Yang Zhifeng Yang Zhifeng Yang Zhifeng Yang Zhifeng Yang Zhifeng Yang Zhifeng Yang Zhifeng Yang, Yang Li, Yang Li, Xinghui Xia, Zhifeng Yang, Yao Li, Yang Li, Yang Li, Yao Li, Yao Li, Zhifeng Yang Yao Li, Zhifeng Yang, Zhifeng Yang Yao Li, Xinghui Xia, Zhifeng Yang Zhifeng Yang Zhifeng Yang Yang Li, Zhifeng Yang, Zhifeng Yang Zhifeng Yang, Jie Zhang, Zhifeng Yang, Zhifeng Yang Yao Li, Zhifeng Yang, Zhifeng Yang Zhifeng Yang Zhifeng Yang Zhifeng Yang Zhifeng Yang Zhifeng Yang, Zhifeng Yang, Zhifeng Yang, Zhifeng Yang, Yang Li, Yang Li, Zhifeng Yang, Zhifeng Yang Zhifeng Yang, Zhifeng Yang, Zhifeng Yang

Summary

This study found that biodegradable PLA nanoplastics become more toxic after aging in sunlight, causing worse gut damage, oxidative stress, and disruption of gut bacteria in aquatic insects than fresh particles. The aging process made the particles smaller and more chemically reactive, enhancing their harmful effects. This challenges the assumption that biodegradable plastics are inherently safer -- once they break down into nanoplastics in the environment, they may actually pose greater health risks.

Polymers

PLA

Body Systems

Immune

Biodegradable plastic, a widely used ecofriendly alternative to conventional plastic, easily form nanoplastics (NPs) upon environmental weathering. However, the effects and underlying mechanisms governing the toxicity of photoaged biodegradable NPs to aquatic insects are not understood. In this study, we investigated the photoaging of polylactic acid nanoplastics (PLA-NPs, a typical biodegradable plastic) that were placed under xenon arc lamp for 50 days and 100 days and compared the toxicity of virgin and photoaged PLA-NPs to Chironomus kiinensis (a dominant aquatic insect). The results showed that photoaged PLA-NPs significantly decreased the body weight, body length and emergence rate of C. kiinensis. Additionally, photoaged PLA-NPs induced more severe gut oxidative stress, histological damage, and inflammatory responses than virgin PLA-NPs. Furthermore, the alpha diversity of gut microbiota was lower in photoaged PLA-NPs group than virgin PLA-NPs. The relative abundance of key gut bacteria related to intestinal barrier defense, immunity, and nutrient absorption was reduced more significantly in photoaged PLA-NPs group than virgin PLA, indirectly leading to stronger gut damage and growth reduction. A stronger impact of photoaged PLA-NPs on the gut and its microbiota occurred because photoaging reduced the size of NPs from 255.5 nm (virgin PLA) to 217.1 nm (PLA-50) and 182.5 nm (PLA-100), induced surface oxidation and enhancement of oxidative potential, and improved the stability of NPs, thereby exacerbating toxicity on the gut and its microbiota. This study provides insights into the effects of biodegradable NPs on aquatic insects and highlights the importance of considering biodegradable nanoplastic aging in risk assessments.

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