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Combined Toxicity of Polybutylene Succinate Microplastics and Levofloxacin in Cristaria Plicata: Insights from Bioaccumulation and Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis
Summary
Researchers exposed freshwater mussels to biodegradable polybutylene succinate microplastics combined with the antibiotic levofloxacin, finding that UV-aged microplastics promoted greater antibiotic accumulation and significantly altered gut microbiota composition, including enrichment of potentially harmful Bacteroides bacteria.
Microplastics and antibiotics frequently coexist in aquatic environments and pose potential health risks. However, the combined toxicity of aged and unaged microplastics with antibiotics remains largely unknown. This study investigated the effects of biodegradable polybutylene succinate microplastics (PBS-MPs), before and after UV aging, in combination with levofloxacin (LEV), on bioaccumulation and intestinal microflora in Cristaria plicata. PBS-MPs exposure under low concentration (1 μg/L), particularly aged PBS-MPs, promoted LEV accumulation in mussels. Sequencing of mussel intestinal flora after 14 d of exposure showed that the addition of aged PBS (APBS) under low LEV exposure increased the number of ASVs by 732 compared to the control. Specifically, the abundance of Firmicutes decreased after PBS exposure, while Proteobacteria exhibited the opposite tendency. Alpha diversity analysis indicated no significant differences in the intestinal flora among treatment groups. LEfSe indicated that APBS exposure significantly altered the microbiota compared to PPBS, most notably through the enrichment of Bacteroides, which can damage organisms. Our results provide new insights into the mechanisms underlying the combined toxicity of microplastics and antibiotics in aquatic organisms.