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Unraveling individual and combined toxicity of nano/microplastics and ciprofloxacin to Synechocystis sp. at the cellular and molecular levels
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Researchers studied the individual and combined toxic effects of nano- and microplastics with the antibiotic ciprofloxacin on a freshwater cyanobacterium. They found that while each pollutant caused harm on its own, the antibiotic actually showed an antagonistic interaction with the plastic particles, reducing some of their combined toxicity. The study provides important insights into how microplastics and pharmaceutical pollutants interact in aquatic environments, which may complicate pollution risk assessments.
Although nanoplastics/microplastics (NPs/MPs) may interact with co-contaminants (e.g. antibiotics) in aquatic systems, little is known about their combined toxicity. Here, we compared the individual toxicity of NPs/MPs or ciprofloxacin (CIP, a very commonly detected antibiotic) and their combined toxicity toward a unicellular cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. in terms of the cellular responses and metabolomic analysis. We found that CIP exhibited an antagonistic effect with NPs/MPs due to its adsorption onto the surface of NPs/MPs. Particle size-dependent toxic effects of NPs/MPs were observed. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) was verified as an important factor for NPs/MPs to inhibit cell growth, other than for CIP. Metabolomics further revealed that Synechocystis sp. up-regulated glycerophospholipids, amino acids, nucleotides, and carbohydrates to tolerate CIP pressure. NPs/MPs downregulated the TCA cycle and glycerophospholipids metabolism and impaired the primary production and membrane integrity via adhesion with Synechocystis sp.. Additionally, the toxicity of NPs/MPs throughout ten growth cycles at a sublethal concentration unveiled its potential risks in interfering with metabolism. Collectively, our findings provide insights into the joint ecotoxicity of NPs/MPs and antibiotics, and highlight the potential risks of co-pollutants at environmental relevant concentrations.
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Researchers exposed marine cyanobacteria (Synechococcus) to nanoplastics and an antibiotic, alone and combined, in a lab setting. While population growth showed less harm than expected when combined, cell-level tests showed worse damage: membrane breakdown, oxidative stress, and shutdown of photosynthesis and energy production genes.
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Beyond acute toxicity: How nanoplastics and norfloxacin jointly trigger cyanobacterial blooms by modulating lag-phase metabolism
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Researchers exposed a freshwater algae species to low doses of an antibiotic and tiny plastic particles, alone and together, during different growth stages in lab tests. Algae exposed to both pollutants during early growth stages showed enhanced growth and changes in how they processed nitrogen, while the same exposure during later growth stages caused stress and slowed growth. The findings suggest that traditional lab tests using high pollutant doses may miss how low levels of multiple contaminants together trigger algal blooms in nature.
Aged microplastics enhance their interaction with ciprofloxacin and joint toxicity on Escherichia coli
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Researchers found that aged microplastics showed enhanced adsorption of the antibiotic ciprofloxacin compared to pristine particles, and that their combined exposure produced greater toxicity to E. coli at the molecular level than either pollutant alone.
Submicron-size-dependent toxicity of microplastic–antibiotic mixtures in Chlorella pyrenoidosa
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Scientists found that tiny plastic particles (smaller than a speck of dust) can team up with antibiotics in water to harm algae, the tiny organisms at the base of the food chain, and that the plastic's exact size and surface coating change how toxic the mixture becomes. Interestingly, when plastics and antibiotics mixed together, the combo was often less harmful than antibiotics alone, because the plastic particles soaked up some of the antibiotic. This matters because it shows that studying pollutants one at a time doesn't capture the full picture, real-world mixtures of microplastics and drugs in our water systems behave differently
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