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Article ? AI-assigned paper type based on the abstract. Classification may not be perfect — flag errors using the feedback button. Tier 2 ? Original research — experimental, observational, or case-control study. Direct primary evidence. Marine & Wildlife Remediation Sign in to save

Microplastic aging alters the adsorption-desorption behaviors of sulfamethoxazole in marine animals: A study in simulated biological liquids

Marine Pollution Bulletin 2023 27 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count.
Jiaxuan Li, Yunxue Li, Bushra Maryam, Xiaochen Chen, Yanping Zong, Jianbo Tu, Jianbo Tu, Ping Zhang, Xianhua Liu

Summary

Researchers tested how UV aging of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) and polyethylene (PE) microplastics affects their adsorption and desorption of the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole in simulated fish intestinal and mammalian stomach fluids. Aging increased adsorption capacity for sulfamethoxazole, while desorption in digestive fluids was higher for aged PHA than aged PE, with implications for antibiotic bioavailability in organisms that ingest microplastics.

Polymers
PE
Body Systems
Digestive

Antibiotics and microplastics (MPs) coexisting as unique environmental contaminants may cause unintended environmental issues. In this study, the adsorption-desorption behaviors of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) on both original and UV-aged MPs were examined. Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) and polyethylene (PE), which represent degradable and refractory MPs, respectively, were chosen as two distinct types of MPs. Furthermore, simulated fish intestinal fluids (SFIF) and simulated mammalian stomach fluids (SMGF) were employed to evaluate the desorption behaviors of SMX from aged MPs. Our findings demonstrate that UV-aging altered the polarity, hydrophilicity, and structure of the MPs. Aged MPs showed a higher adsorption capacity than the original MPs and they have a higher desorption capacity than original MPs in simulated body fluids. PE has a higher SMX desorption capacity in SFIF and the opposite happened in SMGF. Our results highlight the importance of considering the different adsorption-desorption behaviors of antibiotics on MPs when evaluating their environmental impact.

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