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Polyethylene nanoplastics intensify toxicity of potassium clavulanate in African catfish (Clarias gariepinus)
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Researchers studied the combined effects of polyethylene nanoplastics and the antibiotic potassium clavulanate on African catfish over a 15-day exposure period. They found that smaller nanoplastics (20 nm) significantly amplified the antibiotic's toxicity, causing persistent DNA damage, blood cell death, and spleen tissue damage that did not fully recover. The study suggests that nanoplastics can act as a "Trojan horse" that intensifies pharmaceutical toxicity in aquatic organisms.
Nanoplastics (NPs) and antibiotics frequently co-occur in aquatic environments, yet their combined effects on fish health remain poorly understood. This study examined the individual and joint toxicity of polyethylene nanoplastics (PE-NPs; 20 and 80 nm, 5 mg L⁻¹) and potassium clavulanate (CA; 100 ng L⁻¹) in African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) during a 15-day exposure followed by a 15-day recovery phase. Exposure to PE-NPs (20 nm) alone significantly increased erythrocyte apoptosis (2.8-fold vs. control, p < 0.001), while CA alone also caused significant DNA damage (1.9-fold vs. control, p < 0.001). PE-NPs (80 nm) alone induced no notable alterations. Co-exposure to CA and PE-NPs, particularly the 20 nm particles, produced the strongest erythrocyte apoptosis, DNA damage, and declines in Hb, Hct, RBCs, and WBCs. These hematological and genotoxic effects persisted after recovery, indicating incomplete or delayed reversal of toxicity. Spleen histopathology showed vascular congestion, hemorrhage, fibrosis, and lymphoid depletion, especially in co-exposed fish. The results demonstrate a statistically significant, size-dependent synergistic interaction, suggesting that smaller PE-NPs amplify CA-induced cytotoxicity and genotoxicity through a "Trojan horse" mechanism. The persistence of these effects underscores the ecological risk of NP-pharmaceutical mixtures and the need to include such interactions in aquatic risk assessments.
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Accumulation and ecotoxicological effects induced by combined exposure of different sized polyethylene microplastics and oxytetracycline in zebrafish
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Researchers conducted a 30-day experiment exposing zebrafish to different sized polyethylene microplastics combined with the antibiotic oxytetracycline. They found that smaller nanoplastics increased antibiotic accumulation in fish liver by up to 44.5%, and the combined exposure caused more severe liver damage than either contaminant alone, with effects worsening as particle size decreased. The study suggests that microplastics can amplify the toxicity of antibiotics in aquatic organisms through enhanced bioaccumulation.
Polystyrene nanoplastics exacerbated the ecotoxicological and potential carcinogenic effects of tetracycline in juvenile grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella)
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Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics significantly worsened the toxic effects of the antibiotic tetracycline in juvenile grass carp. Combined exposure increased oxidative damage, upregulated genes associated with tissue remodeling and inflammation in the liver and intestine, and caused visible tissue lesions in the intestine and gills.
Nanoplastics enhance florfenicol toxicity by disturbing detoxification and metabolic processes in nematodes
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Researchers investigated how polystyrene nanoplastics affect the toxicity of the antibiotic florfenicol in the nematode C. elegans. They found that nanoplastics with different surface charges and sizes enhanced the antibiotic's harmful effects by disrupting detoxification and metabolic pathways. The study suggests that nanoplastic contamination may amplify the risks of co-occurring pollutants in the environment.
Microplastics Enhance the Toxic Effects of Tetracycline on the Early Development of Zebrafish in a Dose-Dependent Manner
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Researchers exposed zebrafish embryos and larvae to polyethylene microplastics combined with the antibiotic tetracycline and found that the combination enhanced toxic effects in a dose-dependent manner. The co-exposure caused increased mortality, reduced body length, cardiac abnormalities, and aberrant vascular development through mechanisms involving oxidative stress and inflammation. The findings demonstrate that microplastics can amplify the toxicity of antibiotics during critical early developmental stages in fish.
Amplified toxic effects of nanoplastic composite norfloxacin on liver cells in mice: Mechanistic insights and multiscale evaluation
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Researchers examined the combined toxic effects of nanoplastics and the antibiotic norfloxacin on mouse liver cells and found that co-exposure was significantly more harmful than either contaminant alone. The nanoplastics acted as carriers that increased antibiotic accumulation inside cells, amplifying oxidative damage and disrupting key protective enzymes. The study highlights that nanoplastics in the environment can worsen the toxicity of co-occurring pollutants like antibiotics.
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