Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Effects of erythromycin on biofilm formation and resistance mutation of Escherichia coli on pristine and UV-aged polystyrene microplastics

Researchers investigated how the antibiotic erythromycin affects bacterial biofilm formation on both new and UV-weathered polystyrene microplastics. They found that UV aging significantly changed the surface properties of the plastic, increasing its ability to absorb antibiotics and promote antibiotic-resistant bacterial mutations. The study suggests that weathered microplastics in the environment may act as hotspots for the development and spread of antibiotic resistance.

2024 Water Research 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of photoaging on biofilm development and microbial community in polypropylene and polylactic acid microplastics in freshwater

Researchers systematically examined how varying degrees of photoaging affect the physicochemical properties, biofilm formation, and bacterial community composition of polypropylene and polylactic acid microplastics in freshwater environments.

2025 Emerging Contaminants and Environmental Health
Article Tier 2

Rapid Physicochemical Changes in Microplastic Induced by Biofilm Formation

Researchers studied how biofilm formation rapidly changes the physical and chemical properties of microplastics over a two-week period. The study found significant two-way interactions between microbial communities and plastic surfaces, with biofilm colonization altering surface properties of polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene, while the type of polymer influenced which microbial communities developed.

2020 Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology 159 citations
Article Tier 2

Incubation habitats and aging treatments affect the formation of biofilms on polypropylene microplastics

Researchers studied how aging treatments and different aquatic habitats (marine, estuary, and river) affect biofilm formation on polypropylene microplastics. The study found that aging processes damaged the surface structure of microplastics and increased oxygen-containing groups, which enhanced microbial colonization. The results suggest that both environmental conditions and plastic degradation status significantly influence the microbial communities that form on microplastic surfaces.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 74 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of biofilm formation on triclosan adsorption by UV-aged and pristine polystyrene microplastics in aquatic environments

Researchers investigated how biofilm formation on UV-aged versus pristine polystyrene microplastics affected triclosan adsorption, finding that biofilm-colonized aged microplastics had altered surface properties that changed triclosan uptake compared to unaged particles.

2025 Water Research X 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Promoting Biofilm Formation by Serratia marcescens on Three Types of Artificially Aged Microplastics Under Marine Conditions

Researchers investigated Serratia marcescens biofilm formation on virgin and UV-aged polyethylene, polypropylene, and expanded polystyrene microplastics under marine conditions, finding that aging enhanced biofilm formation on PE and enabled it on PP, while expanded polystyrene showed initial biofilm that dissipated by day 14.

2025 Microplastics
Article Tier 2

Comprehensive assessment of photo-oxidative degradation and biofilm colonization on microplastic pellets in simulated marine environment

Researchers exposed polyethylene, polypropylene, and nylon-6 microplastics to artificial UV aging and chemical oxidation in seawater to study photo-oxidative degradation and subsequent biofilm colonization. Aging altered surface chemistry and enabled biofilm formation, with degradation rates and biofilm composition varying by polymer type.

2025 Journal of Environmental Science and Health Part A
Article Tier 2

Microplastic aging mediates bacterial and antibiotic resistance gene composition in plastisphere and the associated soil solution

Researchers ran a microcosm experiment comparing how pristine versus aged microplastics influenced bacterial communities and antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) composition in the plastisphere and surrounding soil solution. Aged MPs enriched distinct ARGs and microbial taxa compared to pristine MPs, suggesting MP weathering intensifies the spread of antibiotic resistance in soils.

2025 Environmental Pollution 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of photoaging on structure and characteristics of biofilms on microplastic in soil: Biomass and microbial community

Scientists studied how sunlight aging changes the way bacteria colonize microplastics in soil, finding that weathered plastics attracted different bacterial communities than fresh plastics. Aged microplastics initially supported less biofilm growth but developed bacteria with greater ability to break down carbon compounds. This research helps explain how microplastics behave differently in real-world soil conditions versus lab settings, which matters for understanding how plastics affect agricultural land and the food grown in it.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 47 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of levofloxacin by ultraviolet aging microplastics

Researchers studied how ultraviolet aging changes the ability of common microplastics to adsorb the antibiotic levofloxacin. The study found that UV-aged polystyrene, polyamide, and polyethylene microplastics all showed significantly enhanced adsorption capacity compared to their unaged counterparts, suggesting that weathered microplastics in the environment may carry higher pollutant loads.

2023 Chemosphere 50 citations
Article Tier 2

Evolution of Microplastic Properties and Tetracycline Adsorption During Aging in Laboratory and Natural Environments

Researchers aged polyethylene, PET, and polystyrene microplastics under both laboratory UV and natural outdoor conditions and tracked how aging changed their physicochemical properties and tetracycline antibiotic adsorption capacity. Aging consistently increased surface oxidation and adsorption of tetracycline, with outdoor-aged particles showing different property profiles than lab-aged ones, highlighting the importance of using environmentally realistic aging conditions.

2025 Atmosphere
Article Tier 2

In vitro modeling for the aging of nanoplastics: physicochemical characteristics and effect on the biofilm formation of Staphylococcus aureus

Researchers found that nanoplastics change as they age under environmental conditions, altering surface properties and increasing bacterial attachment. Aged nanoplastics promoted Staphylococcus aureus biofilm formation more than fresh particles, with potential implications for human health.

2021
Article Tier 2

Alteration of microbial mediated carbon cycle and antibiotic resistance genes during plastisphere formation in coastal area

Researchers investigated how microplastic surfaces in coastal environments develop biofilm communities, known as the plastisphere, and whether these biofilms enrich antibiotic resistance genes. The study found that incubation time, habitat type, and microplastic aging state all significantly influenced biofilm composition, and that aged microplastics accumulated more antibiotic resistance genes than new ones, suggesting microplastics may serve as vectors for spreading resistant bacteria.

2023 Chemosphere 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Aged Microplastics and Antibiotic Resistance Genes: A Review of Aging Effects on Their Interactions

This review explores how the aging of microplastics in the environment affects their ability to harbor antibiotic resistance genes. Researchers found that weathering processes like sunlight exposure increase the surface area of microplastics and generate reactive oxygen species, both of which can enhance the uptake and transfer of resistance genes among bacteria. The findings suggest that aged microplastics in the environment may be more effective at spreading antibiotic resistance than fresh ones.

2024 Antibiotics 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Structural and Functional Characteristics of Microplastic Associated Biofilms in Response to Temporal Dynamics and Polymer Types

Researchers found that biofilm structural and functional characteristics on microplastics differ significantly depending on polymer type (polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene) and change over time, with implications for understanding microbial colonization and the plastisphere.

2021 Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 41 citations
Article Tier 2

UV-photoaging of degradable microplastics in atmospheric and wastewater: Surface changes and enhanced antibiotic interaction

When biodegradable microplastics spend time in wastewater rather than open air, they age much more aggressively — developing biofilms and oxidized surfaces that dramatically increase their ability to absorb antibiotics. This study found that wastewater-aged polybutylene succinate microplastics adsorbed 2.4 times more tetracycline than fresh plastic, and outperformed air-aged plastic by 40%, driven by biofilm chemistry and increased surface area. The implication is that wastewater treatment systems — rather than solving the microplastic problem — may be transforming biodegradable plastics into potent carriers for antibiotic resistance.

2026 Environmental Pollution
Article Tier 2

Impact of sequential UV-aging of microplastics on the fate of antibiotic (tetracycline) in riverine, estuarine, and marine systems

Researchers studied how sequential UV aging of polystyrene, polypropylene, and polyethylene microplastics, which mimics natural weathering, affects their ability to adsorb the antibiotic tetracycline under different water chemistry conditions. They found that aged microplastics adsorbed significantly more tetracycline than pristine particles, with the effect varying by water type and plastic polymer. The study suggests that as microplastics weather in the environment, they may become increasingly effective at carrying antibiotic contaminants.

2025 Environmental Research 3 citations
Article Tier 2

An investigation into the effect of UV irradiation and biofilm colonization on adsorption and desorption behavior of polyurethane (PU) microplastics for bisphenol A (BPA)

Researchers investigated how UV light exposure and biofilm growth on polyurethane microplastics affect their ability to absorb and release bisphenol A, an endocrine-disrupting chemical. They found that UV aging increased the microplastics' capacity to absorb BPA, while biofilm colonization reduced it. The study suggests that the environmental history of microplastics significantly influences their role as carriers of harmful pollutants.

2024 Environmental Technology & Innovation 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Behavior and mechanisms of ciprofloxacin adsorption on aged polylactic acid and polyethlene microplastics

Researchers investigated how aging affects the adsorption of the antibiotic ciprofloxacin on polylactic acid and polyethylene microplastics, finding that aged plastics showed significantly enhanced adsorption capacity due to physicochemical surface changes.

2023 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Enhanced adsorption of tetracycline on polypropylene and polyethylene microplastics after anaerobically microbial-mediated aging process

Researchers found that anaerobic microbial aging of polypropylene and polyethylene microplastics altered their surface structure and crystallinity, significantly enhancing their ability to adsorb the antibiotic tetracycline compared to unaged particles.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances 25 citations
Article Tier 2

The unexpected role of aged microplastics in inhibiting antibiotic resistance gene spread

Aged (weathered) microplastics were unexpectedly found to inhibit antibiotic resistance gene transfer between bacteria compared to virgin plastics. This surprising result suggests that the physical and chemical changes plastics undergo in the environment can alter their role in spreading antibiotic resistance, a key public health concern.

2025 Water Research X 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Surface characteristics and adsorption properties of polypropylene microplastics by ultraviolet irradiation and natural aging

This study examined how aging and UV light change the surface properties of polypropylene microplastics and their ability to absorb other pollutants. UV-aged microplastics absorbed significantly more of a common dye pollutant, while naturally aged particles absorbed less due to biological film buildup. Understanding how microplastics change over time in the environment matters because aged particles may carry different levels of harmful chemicals than fresh ones.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Aging attenuates threat: how moderate aging of microplastics suppresses antibiotic resistance gene proliferation during sludge anaerobic digestion

Researchers examined how the degree of weathering of polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics affects their tendency to promote antibiotic resistance gene spread during sewage sludge digestion, and found a counterintuitive U-shaped relationship: moderately aged plastics actually suppressed resistance gene proliferation by up to 50% compared to fresh plastics, while more heavily aged plastics saw the effect bounce back. The mechanism involves weathering altering how microplastics affect microbial stress responses and gene transfer pathways. The findings highlight that the environmental history of microplastics matters when assessing their biological risks.

2026 Bioresource Technology
Article Tier 2

Effects of biofilm on metal adsorption behavior and microbial community of microplastics

Researchers found that biofilm development on polystyrene microplastics enhanced their ability to adsorb copper and lead more than UV aging alone, with biofilm altering both the adsorption mechanisms and microbial community composition on the plastic surfaces.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 125 citations