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Tier 2
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Original research — experimental, observational, or case-control study. Direct primary evidence.
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Transcriptomic and metabolomic changes in lettuce triggered by microplastics-stress
Environmental Pollution2023
107 citations
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Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count.
Score: 65
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0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
Researchers grew lettuce in water containing polystyrene microplastics and found that the particles accumulated in root tips and leaf veins, causing water loss stress and changes in gene expression. The plants responded by activating stress defense systems and altering their metabolism, including increased production of protective compounds in root secretions. This study provides molecular-level evidence that microplastics can stress food crops and change their biology, raising questions about the safety and nutritional quality of vegetables grown in contaminated environments.
Microplastics (MPs) are a global threat to the environment, and plant uptake of MP particles (≤0.2 μm) is a particular cause for concern. However, physiological and molecular mechanisms underlying MP-induced growth inhibition need to be clarified. Towards this goal, we conducted a hydroponic experiment to investigate the accumulation of MPs, changes in physiology, gene expression, and metabolites in lettuce from a series of concentrations of fluorescence-labelled polystyrene MPs (0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 mg L, ∼0.2 μm). Our results showed that MPs accumulated in the lettuce root tips and leaf veins, resulting in the hypertonic injury of lettuce, and the down-regulation of genes related to ion homeostasis. Stress-related genes were up-regulated, and sphingolipid metabolism increased in response to MP additions, causing increased biosynthesis of ascorbic acid, terpenoid, and flavonoids in root exudates. Our findings provide a molecular-scale perspective on the response of leafy vegetables to MP-stress at a range of concentrations. This enables more comprehensive evaluation of the risks of MPs to human health and the ecological environment.