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Impact of polystyrene microplastics with combined contamination of norfloxacin and sulfadiazine on Chrysanthemum coronarium L.
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Researchers examined the single and combined effects of polystyrene microplastics, norfloxacin, and sulfadiazine on the medicinal food crop Chrysanthemum coronarium. The study found that combined exposure altered nutrient element accumulation and caused ultrastructural damage to plant cells, suggesting that the co-occurrence of microplastics and antibiotics in soil may pose compounded threats to crop safety.
Antibiotics and microplastics including nanoplastics are emerging contaminants which have become global environmental issues. The application of antibiotics along with microplastics in soil and their entrance in food chain may pose a major threat to human health. The single and combined exposure of polystyrene microplastic (MPS), norfloxacin (NF) and sulfadiazine (SFD) on Chrysanthemum coronarium L. a medicinal food crop, were investigated. Accumulation of nutrient element contents (Fe, Mn, Mg, Zn, K) differentially responded to the single or combined treatments compared to the control. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy analysis indicated that MPS, NF and SFD accumulated in roots, shoots, and leaves and affected their ultrastructure. Compared with that of the single contamination, the co-contamination of microplastics and antibiotics had a greater effect on leaf metabolites due to combination of multiple abiotic stresses. MPS, NF and SFD accumulated from roots and transported to shoots and leaves which ultimately impacts plant metabolites and, nutritional value. They subsequently impact agricultural sustainability and food safety of medicinal food plants. This investigation suggests the possible ecological risks of microplastics to medicinal food plants, especially in co-exposure with organic pollutants like antibiotics and help to reveal potential mechanisms of phytotoxicity of different antibiotics with polyethylene microplastic.
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Polystyrene nanoplastics increase tetracycline residues while aggravating nutrient dysregulation and ultrastructural damage in the roots of Chrysanthemum coronarium L.
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Scientists found that when tiny plastic particles (nanoplastics) and a common antibiotic (tetracycline) show up together in soil, the plastic causes edible plants like garland chrysanthemum to absorb and hold onto more of the antibiotic residue in their roots. This combo also damaged the plant's root cells and reduced important nutrients like potassium, calcium, and iron. Since these pollutants often mix in real-world farming environments, this matters because it suggests microplastic pollution could make antibiotic contamination in our food worse while also making crops less nutritious.
Combined contamination of microplastic and antibiotic alters the composition of microbial community and metabolism in wheat and maize rhizosphere soil
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A study found that when soil is contaminated with both microplastics and antibiotics together, the damage to wheat and maize seedlings is worse than from either contaminant alone, with increased root oxidative stress and disrupted soil bacterial communities. This combined contamination, common in agricultural soils treated with plastic mulch and livestock manure, could affect crop health and food quality.
Polystyrene and Azithromycin Co-Contamination: Comparative Analysis of Microbial Shifts in the Rhizosphere vs. Bulk Soil under Wheat Growth
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Scientists found that when tiny plastic particles and a common antibiotic mix together in soil, they disrupt beneficial microbes around wheat roots more than either pollutant does alone. This matters because healthy soil microbes help crops grow and cycle nutrients, so this combined pollution could quietly affect food production as both microplastics and pharmaceuticals build up in farmland over time.
Combined effects of microplastics and organic pollutants on crops: a meta-analysis
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Tiny plastic particles in soil don't just harm crops on their own, when combined with things like antibiotics or pesticides, they can shrink plant growth and cause crops to soak up nearly twice as much antibiotic residue in their edible parts. Since this study used lab experiments with higher-than-typical pollutant levels over short time periods, more real-world research is needed, but the findings raise a flag: microplastic pollution in farm soil could be making other chemical contaminants in our food worse, not just adding a separate problem.
Joint effects of microplastics and ciprofloxacin on their toxicity and fates in wheat: A hydroponic study
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Researchers found that microplastics and the antibiotic ciprofloxacin jointly affected wheat growth in hydroponic conditions, with microplastics altering ciprofloxacin uptake and toxicity while the antibiotic influenced microplastic accumulation in plant tissues.
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