Papers

Biodegradation of Typical Plastics: From Microbial Diversity to Metabolic Mechanisms

This review examines how marine microorganisms, including bacteria and fungi, can naturally break down common plastics like PET, polystyrene, and polyethylene. Marine microbes may be better adapted than land-based organisms for this task because they already thrive in harsh conditions, offering a potential environmentally friendly approach to addressing ocean plastic pollution.

Determining Antimicrobial Resistance in the Plastisphere: Lower Risks of Nonbiodegradable vs Higher Risks of Biodegradable Microplastics

This study found that biodegradable microplastics actually pose a higher risk for spreading antibiotic resistance than conventional non-biodegradable plastics. As biodegradable plastics break down, they appear to promote stress responses in bacteria that encourage the sharing of antibiotic resistance genes. This is concerning because biodegradable plastics are often marketed as safer alternatives.

Recent advances towards micro(nano)plastics research in wetland ecosystems: A systematic review on sources, removal, and ecological impacts

Wetland ecosystems act as important sinks for micro- and nanoplastics, which were found to cause ecotoxicological effects on wetland plants, animals, and microbial communities, including shifts in microbial composition relevant to pollutant removal. Micro/nanoplastics exposure also affected conventional pollutant removal efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions from wetland systems.

Aging behaviors intensify the impacts of microplastics on nitrate bioreduction-driven nitrogen cycling in freshwater sediments

This study found that microplastics that have aged in the environment have stronger effects on nitrogen cycling in lake sediments than fresh microplastics, significantly altering how bacteria process nitrogen. These disruptions to natural nutrient cycles in freshwater systems could affect water quality and the broader food web that ultimately connects to human food sources.

Enhancing the aging of polystyrene microplastics through a flow-through electrochemical membrane system: Mechanism of confinement effect

Engineers developed a new electrochemical membrane system that can both filter out and break down polystyrene microplastics in water, using 3.7 times less energy than previous methods. The technology works by trapping microplastics against an electrode surface where free radicals attack and degrade the plastic, offering a more efficient approach to removing these persistent pollutants from water supplies.

International consensus guidelines for the definition, detection, and interpretation of autophagy-dependent ferroptosis

This scientific review provides guidelines for understanding a specific type of cell death called autophagy-dependent ferroptosis, where cells essentially digest their own protective components and then die from iron-driven damage. While not directly about microplastics, this process is relevant because microplastics and nanoplastics have been shown to trigger oxidative stress and iron-related cell damage in tissues. Understanding these cell death pathways helps researchers assess how plastic particle exposure could harm organs like the liver, brain, and lungs.

Biodegradation of various grades of polyethylene microplastics by Tenebrio molitor and Tenebrio obscurus larvae: Effects on their physiology

Mealworm larvae (Tenebrio molitor and Tenebrio obscurus) were fed different grades of polyethylene plastic to test their ability to biodegrade this common plastic. Both species could consume and partially break down all three types of polyethylene, though the process caused oxidative stress and shifted their gut bacteria. This research suggests biological degradation of plastic waste is possible, which could help reduce the environmental breakdown of plastics into harmful microplastics.

From insects to mammals! Tissue accumulation and transgenerational transfer of micro/nano-plastics through the food chain

In a novel experiment, researchers fed microplastic-exposed mealworms to mice and tracked the particles as they moved up the food chain. The plastics accumulated in the mice's lungs, liver, brain, kidneys, and even embryos, providing clear evidence that microplastics transfer through the food chain from lower to higher organisms and can cross biological barriers to reach developing offspring.

Effects of ocean acidification and polystyrene microplastics on the oysters Crassostrea gigas: An integrated biomarker and metabolomic approach

Researchers exposed oysters to polystyrene microplastics of two sizes under both normal and acidified ocean conditions to simulate climate change. They found that ocean acidification and microplastics interacted in complex ways, with smaller microplastics under acidic conditions altering the oysters' metabolic profiles in their digestive organs. This study highlights that climate change may change how microplastics affect the shellfish many people eat.

Polystyrene Nanoplastics Induce Lipid Metabolism Disorder by Activating the PERK-ATF4 Signaling Pathway in Mice

Mice exposed to polystyrene nanoplastics developed abnormal fat buildup in their livers through a specific stress pathway in cells called the endoplasmic reticulum. The nanoplastics activated a signaling chain (PERK-ATF4) that ramped up fat-producing genes, leading to excess fat droplets in liver tissue -- a finding that helps explain how nanoplastic exposure could contribute to liver disease and metabolic problems.

Recent advances in biodegradation of emerging contaminants - microplastics (MPs): Feasibility, mechanism, and future prospects

This review explores biological approaches to breaking down microplastics, including using bacteria, fungi, and enzymes. While some organisms can partially degrade certain plastic types, the process is slow and incomplete compared to the scale of pollution. The research is promising for future cleanup efforts but shows that biodegradation alone cannot yet solve the microplastic contamination problem.

Insights into the Photoaging Behavior of Microplastics: Environmental Fate and Ecological Risk

This review examines how sunlight ages microplastics in the environment, breaking them into smaller pieces and changing their surface chemistry in ways that make them more toxic and more likely to carry other pollutants. Sun-aged microplastics release dissolved organic matter that can harm aquatic life, and their roughened surfaces attract more bacteria and chemical contaminants. Since most microplastics in nature have been exposed to sunlight, their real-world health risks may be higher than studies using fresh lab plastics suggest.

Microporous carbon derived from waste plastics for efficient adsorption of tetracycline: Adsorption mechanism and application potentials

Scientists converted waste PET plastic bottles into a porous carbon material that can remove 100% of the antibiotic tetracycline from water. The material worked effectively across a wide range of water conditions and could be reused multiple times. This approach offers a double benefit: it repurposes plastic waste that would otherwise become microplastic pollution while also cleaning antibiotics from water, addressing two environmental threats at once.

Effects of plastic aging on biodegradation of polystyrene by Tenebrio molitor larvae: Insights into gut microbiome and bacterial metabolism

Researchers showed that UV and freeze-thaw pretreatment of polystyrene microplastics modestly improved biodegradation by mealworm larvae (Tenebrio molitor), but more notably reshaped the larvae's gut microbial communities and associated metabolic gene profiles, suggesting that plastic aging mainly affects how the gut microbiome adapts rather than dramatically changing degradation rates.

Neutrophils and extracellular traps in crystal-associated diseases

Researchers reviewed how crystals that form inside the body — such as uric acid crystals in gout or silica particles in silicosis — trigger immune cells called neutrophils to release web-like DNA traps (NETs) that cause tissue damage. This inflammatory mechanism may also be relevant to how hard microplastic particles behave once inside human tissues, as they share some physical properties with disease-causing crystals.

Electroactive properties of EABs in response to long-term exposure to polystyrene microplastics/nanoplastics and the underlying adaptive mechanisms

This study investigated how long-term exposure to polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics affects bacteria that generate electricity in biofilms, which are used in wastewater treatment and environmental monitoring. After initial disruption, the bacteria adapted and actually increased their electrical activity over time. While technically focused on biofilm applications, the findings show that microplastics can fundamentally alter microbial behavior in the environment, which may have broader implications for how polluted ecosystems function.

Genome-Wide Molecular Adaptation in Algal Primary Productivity Induced by Prolonged Exposure to Environmentally Realistic Concentration of Nanoplastics

Researchers exposed algae to three types of nanoplastics at realistic environmental levels for 100 days and found the algae adapted by increasing their numbers and photosynthetic activity. However, this adaptation came with significant changes in gene expression and DNA modification patterns, meaning the nanoplastics fundamentally altered the algae's biology. Since algae are the foundation of aquatic food chains, these hidden molecular changes could have ripple effects through ecosystems that eventually affect human food sources.

Integrated multilevel investigation of photosynthesis revealed the algal response distinction to differentially charged nanoplastics

This study investigated how nanoplastics with different electrical charges affect algae, which form the base of aquatic food chains. Positively charged nanoplastics caused the most severe damage, disrupting photosynthesis and damaging cell structures, while neutral and negatively charged particles had milder or even stimulating effects at low levels. Since algae health directly affects the entire aquatic food web, this research helps explain how nanoplastic pollution could ripple through ecosystems and ultimately impact seafood safety.

Molecular-Weight-Dependent Degradation of Plastics: Deciphering Host–Microbiome Synergy Biodegradation of High-Purity Polypropylene Microplastics by Mealworms

Researchers confirmed that mealworms can biodegrade polypropylene, one of the most common and persistent plastics, by working together with their gut bacteria. The study found that the worms could break down polypropylene across a range of molecular weights, though higher molecular weight plastics were harder to process. This biological degradation approach is promising for addressing microplastic pollution, as polypropylene is a major source of microplastics found in food, water, and human tissue.

Microplastics shaped performance, microbial ecology and community assembly in simultaneous nitrification, denitrification and phosphorus removal process

This study found that polystyrene and PVC microplastics disrupted the performance of wastewater treatment systems designed to remove nitrogen and phosphorus, reducing nitrogen removal by up to 10%. The microplastics altered microbial communities, decreased cooperation between beneficial bacteria, and blocked important biological pathways. Since wastewater treatment is a key barrier against pollution reaching drinking water, microplastic interference with these systems could indirectly increase human exposure to harmful contaminants.

Polystyrene nanoplastics induce glycolipid metabolism disorder via NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathway in mice

Researchers fed mice polystyrene nanoplastics and found that the particles disrupted the animals' ability to regulate blood sugar and fat metabolism. The nanoplastics triggered oxidative stress and inflammation in the liver, activating signaling pathways that led to insulin resistance and abnormal fat accumulation. The study provides evidence that nanoplastic exposure may contribute to metabolic disorders through specific molecular mechanisms involving the NF-kB and MAPK pathways.

Membrane-based technologies for removing emerging contaminants in urban water systems: Limitations, successes, and future improvements

Microplastics generated when opening plastic packaging

Researchers discovered that everyday actions like cutting, tearing, and twisting open plastic packaging generate measurable amounts of microplastics, ranging from about 0.46 to 250 particles per centimeter of cut. The amount released depended on factors like the stiffness, thickness, and type of plastic material. The finding reveals a previously unrecognized source of microplastic exposure that occurs routinely in daily life.

Deciphering the role of polystyrene microplastics in waste activated sludge anaerobic digestion: Changes of organics transformation, microbial community and metabolic pathway

Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics in sewage sludge affected the anaerobic digestion process used to treat waste, with low concentrations slightly boosting methane production but high concentrations reducing it by up to 11%. The microplastics disrupted key bacterial communities and enzyme activities needed for proper waste breakdown. This matters because wastewater treatment plants handle enormous volumes of microplastic-laden sludge, and impaired digestion could reduce treatment effectiveness and release more pollutants into the environment.