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Impact of nanoplastics uptake on modulation of plant metabolism and stress responses: a multi-omics perspective on remediation and tolerance mechanisms
Summary
Researchers reviewed how nanoplastics accumulate in plant tissues and disrupt metabolism, finding that these particles impair nutrient uptake, trigger reactive oxygen species overproduction, and alter gene and protein expression, while multi-omics approaches are revealing the molecular stress-response networks that plants use to tolerate or remediate nanoplastic contamination.
UNLABELLED: The demand for plastics is increasing in daily life due to their versatile properties and multiple applications. Environmental breakdown of non-biodegradable single-use plastics into nanoscale fragments (< 100 nm) releases nanoplastics that accumulate in plant tissues, reducing productivity and posing risks to human health through the food chain. The complex interaction between the surface chemistry of nanoplastics and rhizosphere favours the bioavailability and transportation of nanoplastics in plants and soil. The toxic chemical nature of nanoplastics hinders nutrient uptake and metabolism by causing overaccumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in various cellular compartments, thus reducing normal growth and development. To maintain the redox balance, differential modulation of antioxidant defense system minimizes high ROS-induced oxidative stress in plants. The literature review highlights current findings regarding the negative impacts of nanoplastics, transport of nanoplastics, modulation of stress-responsive gene expression, role of non-coding RNAs, protein expression, and essential metabolites associated with plant growth and development under NPs stress. The present review offers an overview of omics approaches aimed at enhancing our understanding of the regulatory mechanisms involved in plant responses to nanoplastic stress. In addition, we also highlight the nanoplastics extraction techniques from plant samples and various analytical techniques for their identification and quantification. Knowledge gaps and future research directions are also discussed to get new insights into phytoremediation and tolerance mechanisms in plants. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12298-026-01717-3.