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Toxic effects and mechanisms of engineered nanoparticles and nanoplastics on lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.)

The Science of The Total Environment 2023 31 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 60 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.

Guanghui Xu, Guanghui Xu, Guanghui Xu, Guanghui Xu, Yanjun Li, Xiaolong Lin, Yanjun Li, Yanjun Li, Xiaolong Lin, Guanghui Xu, Yanjun Li, Yanjun Li, Yanjun Li, Yanjun Li, Guanghui Xu, Guanghui Xu, Guanghui Xu, Xiaolong Lin, Xiaolong Lin, Xiaolong Lin, Xiaolong Lin, Xiaolong Lin, Xiaolong Lin, Xiaolong Lin, Xiaolong Lin, Yanjun Li, Guanghui Xu, Guanghui Xu, Guanghui Xu, Qiuliang Yan, Guanghui Xu, Guanghui Xu, Qiuliang Yan, Yong Yu Yong Yu

Summary

Researchers compared the effects of engineered nanoparticles and polystyrene nanoplastics on lettuce and found that all types caused oxidative stress in roots at high concentrations. Each nanoparticle type triggered different defensive metabolic pathways in the plants, and nanoplastics specifically altered amino acid and vitamin metabolism. Since lettuce is widely consumed raw, these findings raise questions about how nanoplastic contamination in agricultural soil could affect the safety of leafy vegetables.

Polymers

Engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) are typical nanoparticles in terrestrial environments. Till now, few studies have compared their toxicity and mechanism to plants. Here we investigated the effects of CuO, nZVI ENPs and polystyrene (PS) NPs on lettuce growth, metabolic functions, and microbial community structure. Results showed that low concentrations of nanoparticles decreased root biomass and promoted photosynthetic indicators, whereas increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) were detected in roots exposed to high concentrations of nanoparticles. High-dose CuO ENP exposure significantly raised the MDA content by 124.6 % compared to CK, causing the most severe membrane damage in the roots among the three types of nanoparticles. Although linoleic acid metabolism was down-regulated, the roots alleviated CuO stress by up-regulating galactose metabolism. Uptake of PS by roots similarly caused ROS production and activated the oxidative stress system by altering amino acid and vitamin metabolism. Faster microbial responses to nanoparticles were observed in the nZVI and PS networks. The root toxicity was indirectly mediated by ion release, NP uptake, or ROS generation, ultimately impacting root cell metabolism, rhizospheric microorganism and plant growth. These findings provide theoretical basis for assessing environmental impact of nanoparticles and their possible ecological risks.

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