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Original research — experimental, observational, or case-control study. Direct primary evidence.
Remediation
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Wax worm saliva and the enzymes therein are the key to polyethylene degradation by Galleria mellonella
Nature Communications2022
191 citations
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Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count.
Score: 50
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0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
Anahí Sanluis‐Verdes,
Anahí Sanluis‐Verdes,
Mercedes Spínola‐Amilibia,
Federica Bertocchini
Francisco Rodríguez-Ventura,
Pere Colomer-Vidal,
Pere Colomer-Vidal,
Clemente F. Arias,
Francisco Rodríguez-Ventura,
Francisco Rodríguez-Ventura,
R. Illanes,
Francisco Rodríguez-Ventura,
Francisco Rodríguez-Ventura,
Francisco Rodríguez-Ventura,
Francisco Rodríguez-Ventura,
Pere Colomer-Vidal,
Pere Colomer-Vidal,
Francisco Rodríguez-Ventura,
Elena Ruiz-López,
Riccardo Aiese Cigliano,
Riccardo Aiese Cigliano,
M. Bello-Villarino,
M. Bello-Villarino,
Clemente F. Arias,
Pere Colomer-Vidal,
Francisco Rodríguez-Ventura,
Clemente F. Arias,
Mercedes Spínola‐Amilibia,
Mercedes Spínola‐Amilibia,
Francisco Rodríguez-Ventura,
Riccardo Aiese Cigliano,
Clemente F. Arias,
Federica Bertocchini
Elena Ruiz-López,
Federica Bertocchini
Federica Bertocchini
R. Illanes,
R. Illanes,
Clemente F. Arias,
Patrizia Falabella,
M. Pilar Castroviejo,
M. Pilar Castroviejo,
Tomás Torroba,
Marı́a Solà,
Riccardo Aiese Cigliano,
Riccardo Aiese Cigliano,
María Montoya,
Ernesto Arias‐Palomo,
María Montoya,
Federica Bertocchini
Patrizia Falabella,
Patrizia Falabella,
C. Pesquera,
C. Pesquera,
Lorena González-Legarreta,
Lorena González-Legarreta,
Ernesto Arias‐Palomo,
Ernesto Arias‐Palomo,
Marı́a Solà,
Marı́a Solà,
Tomás Torroba,
Tomás Torroba,
Clemente F. Arias,
Federica Bertocchini
Federica Bertocchini
Summary
Researchers discovered that the saliva of wax worm larvae (Galleria mellonella) can oxidize and begin breaking down polyethylene plastic within hours at room temperature, identifying two specific enzymes responsible — the first animal-derived enzymes known to initiate plastic degradation, offering a promising biological tool for tackling plastic waste.
Plastic degradation by biological systems with re-utilization of the by-products could be a future solution to the global threat of plastic waste accumulation. Here, we report that the saliva of Galleria mellonella larvae (wax worms) is capable of oxidizing and depolymerizing polyethylene (PE), one of the most produced and sturdy polyolefin-derived plastics. This effect is achieved after a few hours' exposure at room temperature under physiological conditions (neutral pH). The wax worm saliva can overcome the bottleneck step in PE biodegradation, namely the initial oxidation step. Within the saliva, we identify two enzymes, belonging to the phenol oxidase family, that can reproduce the same effect. To the best of our knowledge, these enzymes are the first animal enzymes with this capability, opening the way to potential solutions for plastic waste management through bio-recycling/up-cycling.