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Exposure to microplastics reduces the bioaccumulation of sulfamethoxazole but enhances its effects on gut microbiota and the antibiotic resistome of mice
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Researchers used a mouse model to study how microplastics affect the bioaccumulation and health impacts of the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole. While microplastics reduced the overall tissue accumulation of the antibiotic, they enhanced its disruptive effects on gut microbiota and increased antibiotic resistance genes. The findings suggest that microplastics may alter how pharmaceuticals interact with the body in ways that could promote antimicrobial resistance.
Microplastics (MPs) have aroused a global health concern and their coexistence with antibiotics is inevitable. However, how MPs would affect the bioaccumulation and risks of antibiotics in humans remains poorly understood. Here a mouse model was used, and through dietary exposure, we observed that while the relative distributions of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) in tissues were relatively stable, MPs significantly reduced the bioaccumulation of SMX in mice tissues (liver, lung, spleen, heart and kidney). Notably, while SMX and MPs showed a differential effect, MPs could exacerbate the effects of SMX on gut microbiota and antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) profile, with the relative abundances of sulfonamide resistance genes and multidrug genes being significantly increased. We further identified that shifts in gut microbiota contributed to the changes in ARG profiles in mice. Combined, our results demonstrate that MPs reduced the bioaccumulation of SMX, but they enhanced its effects on gut microbiota and the antibiotic resistome of mice, indicating they might have high risks to humans.
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This review examines how microplastics affect the intestinal barrier, gut microbiota, and antibiotic resistance gene profiles. Researchers found that while microplastics reduced the bioaccumulation of certain antibiotics like tetracycline and sulfamethoxazole, they enhanced the effects on gut microbial communities and the antibiotic resistome, suggesting potential risks from combined microplastic and antibiotic exposure.
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Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics (~2 μm) significantly altered the gut microbiome and antibiotic resistance gene profile of the soil collembolan Folsomia candida, with co-exposure to the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole producing a distinctly different and more pronounced disruption than microplastics alone.
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When polypropylene microplastics and the antibiotic oxytetracycline were present together in water, the microplastics acted as carriers that increased antibiotic buildup in shrimp and fish through the food chain. This combination caused more gut and liver damage, weakened immune defenses, and promoted the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The findings highlight that microplastics can make antibiotic pollution worse by helping resistant genes move up the food chain.
Do Microplastics in Soil Influence the Bioavailability of Sulfamethoxazole to Plants?
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Researchers investigated how three types of microplastics affect the availability and toxicity of the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole in soil using sorghum plants. They found that low concentrations of the antibiotic actually stimulated plant growth, while higher concentrations inhibited it, and the presence of microplastics generally reduced the antibiotic's toxicity. The study highlights that microplastics in agricultural soils can alter how pharmaceutical contaminants behave, with polystyrene having the strongest effect on drug availability.
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Researchers found that surface-modified nanoplastics (with carboxyl or amino groups) delayed the recovery of gut microbiota in marine medaka fish after combined exposure with the antibiotic sulfamethazine, compared to plain polystyrene nanoplastics. The modified nanoplastics were expelled more slowly from the fish and released more of the adsorbed antibiotic during digestion. The study suggests that real-world nanoplastics, which typically carry surface functional groups from environmental weathering, may pose greater risks to gut health than pristine particles.
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