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Polystyrene Nanoplastics Inhibit the Transformation of Tetrabromobisphenol A by the Bacterium Rhodococcus jostii
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This study found that polystyrene nanoplastics interfere with a bacterium's ability to break down tetrabromobisphenol A, a common flame retardant and environmental contaminant. Nanoplastics adsorbed the chemical onto their surface, reducing its bioavailability, while also causing oxidative stress in the bacteria and disrupting the enzymes needed for biodegradation.
Microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) in the environment pose significant risks to organisms of different trophic levels. While the toxicity of MPs and NPs have been extensively investigated, it remains unknown whether these particles affect microbial transformation of organic pollutants. Here, we show that 20 and 100 nm polystyrene NPs (PS-NPs) can inhibit the transformation of tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) by Gram-positive bacterium Rhodococcus jostii in a concentration-dependent manner. We found that smaller PS-NPs were more inhibitory than larger ones and that both PS-NPs affected biotransformation in several ways. PS-NPs adsorbed TBBPA on their surface and reduced the bioavailable concentration of TBBPA for transformation by R. jostii. Furthermore, PS-NPs induced oxidative stress, increased membrane permeability, and downregulated O-methyltransferase enzymes that transform TBBPA into their methylated derivatives. Our results demonstrate that PS-NPs can impact microbial transformation of organic pollutants, and these effects should be accounted for in future environmental risk assessments.
More Papers Like This
Polystyrene Nanoplastics Inhibit the Transformation of Tetrabromobisphenol A by the Bacterium Rhodococcus jostii
AI summary Read the abstract
This study found that polystyrene nanoplastics interfere with a bacterium's ability to break down tetrabromobisphenol A, a common flame retardant and environmental contaminant. Nanoplastics adsorbed the chemical onto their surface, reducing its bioavailability, while also causing oxidative stress in the bacteria and disrupting the enzymes needed for biodegradation.
Polystyrene Nanoplastics Inhibit the Transformation of Tetrabromobisphenol A by the Bacterium Rhodococcus jostii
AI summary Read the abstract
This study found that polystyrene nanoplastics interfere with a bacterium's ability to break down tetrabromobisphenol A, a common flame retardant and environmental contaminant. Nanoplastics adsorbed the chemical onto their surface, reducing its bioavailability, while also causing oxidative stress in the bacteria and disrupting the enzymes needed for biodegradation.
Polystyrene Nanoplastics Inhibit the Transformation of Tetrabromobisphenol A by the Bacterium Rhodococcus jostii
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics can inhibit the bacterial transformation of the flame retardant tetrabromobisphenol A in a concentration-dependent manner, both by adsorbing the pollutant and by inducing oxidative stress in the bacterium Rhodococcus jostii.
Insights into the influence of polystyrene microplastics on the bio-degradation behavior of tetrabromobisphenol A in soil
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Researchers investigated how aged polystyrene microplastics affect the breakdown of the flame retardant TBBPA in soil. The study found that aged microplastics slowed TBBPA degradation by about 22%, reduced beneficial soil enzyme activity, and shifted microbial communities, suggesting that weathered microplastics may worsen soil contamination problems.
Polystyrene nanoparticles induce biofilm formation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa
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Researchers found that polystyrene nanoparticles caused the common bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa to form thicker biofilms and become more resistant to antibiotics. The nanoplastics damaged bacterial cell membranes and triggered a stress response, prompting the bacteria to produce more protective biofilm as a defense mechanism. This is concerning for human health because it suggests nanoplastic pollution could make disease-causing bacteria harder to treat with existing antibiotics.
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