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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Exposure to polystyrene nanoparticles leads to changes in the zeta potential of bacterial cells
ClearInterfacial Interactions between Escherichia coli and Polystyrene Nanoplastics: a Physicochemical Perspective
When nanoplastic particles encounter bacteria in the environment, the nature of that interaction affects how plastics move through ecosystems and whether they carry pathogens. This study examined how polystyrene nanoparticles (both plain and amine-modified) interact with E. coli at a physicochemical level, finding that attachment depended strongly on particle surface charge, pH, and concentration. The amine-modified particles bound more readily to bacterial surfaces and altered bacterial membranes, suggesting that surface chemistry—which changes as plastics weather in the environment—substantially influences the ecological behavior of nanoplastics and their potential to ferry microorganisms to new locations.
Interactions between bacteria and nano (micro)-sized polystyrene particles by bacterial responses and microscopy
Researchers studied how bacteria interact with polystyrene particles ranging from 60 to 2,260 nanometers and found that the smallest particles entered bacterial cells while larger ones accumulated on surfaces. The 1,040-nanometer particles, similar in size to the bacteria themselves, inhibited growth most strongly, and bacteria responded by forming biofilm complexes around the microplastics.
Growth and membrane stress responses in E. coli and Acinetobacter sp. upon exposure to functionalized polystyrene microplastics
Researchers exposed E. coli and Acinetobacter bacteria to polystyrene microplastics with different surface chemistries, finding that surface functionalization strongly influenced MP toxicity, with some functionalized particles disrupting bacterial membrane integrity and biofilm formation more than non-functionalized particles.
Polystyrene and polytetrafluoroethylene nanoplastics affect probiotic bacterial characteristics and penetrate their cellular membrane
This study found that polystyrene and PTFE nanoplastics damage the membranes and viability of probiotic bacteria in ways that differ by particle surface chemistry and bacterial strain. Since gut microbiome stability depends on these beneficial bacteria, this research suggests that nanoplastic ingestion could undermine the health benefits of probiotics and more broadly disrupt the gut microbial community.
Dose-Dependent Responses of Escherichia coli and Acinetobacter sp. to Micron-Sized Polystyrene Microplastics
Researchers exposed E. coli and Acinetobacter sp. to 1,040 nm polystyrene microplastics across a range of concentrations and assessed growth, oxidative stress, membrane integrity, and biofilm formation. Both species showed concentration-dependent decreases in growth and cell viability, increased oxidative stress markers, impaired membrane integrity, and enhanced biofilm formation, demonstrating microplastic toxicity to environmental and human-associated bacteria.
Alteration of zeta potential and cell viability in rat-derived L6 skeletal muscle cells and H9c2 cardiomyocytes: A study with submicron polystyrene particles
Researchers found that the size and surface modification of polystyrene particles significantly alter zeta potential and cell viability in rat-derived L6 skeletal muscle cells and H9c2 cardiomyocytes, demonstrating that submicron plastic particle characteristics determine their membrane-level effects.
Polystyrene nanoplastics and pathogen plasticity: Toxic threat or tolerated stressor in Salmonella enterica?
Researchers examined how polystyrene nanoplastics affect Salmonella enterica, a major foodborne pathogen, across a range of concentrations. They found that nanoplastics induced oxidative stress, membrane damage, and increased biofilm formation, while also triggering early activation of virulence and stress-response genes. The study suggests that nanoplastic pollution in the environment could alter bacterial survival strategies and potentially influence food safety risks.
Interactions between polystyrene-derived micro- and nanoplastics and the microbiota: a systematic review of multi-omics mouse studies
Researchers systematically reviewed 15 mouse studies and found that exposure to polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics consistently disrupted gut bacteria — reducing beneficial species like Lactobacillus and increasing harmful ones — while also altering metabolic pathways throughout the body. Nanoplastics caused more severe microbiome disruption than larger microplastics, highlighting a serious health concern for humans.
Polystyrene nanoparticles induce biofilm formation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa
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.
Effect of Polystyrene Microplastics of Different Sizes to Escherichia coli and Bacillus cereus
Researchers exposed Gram-negative E. coli and Gram-positive Bacillus cereus to polystyrene particles of different sizes and found opposite effects — PS inhibited E. coli growth while promoting B. cereus growth — suggesting that microbial cell wall structure determines whether plastic particles are harmful or beneficial to bacterial growth.
Surface charge governs polystyrene nanoplastics' influence on conjugative transfer of antibiotic resistance genes
This study found that the surface charge of polystyrene nanoplastics governs their influence on the conjugative transfer of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) between bacteria. Negatively charged nanoplastics promoted ARG transfer more than positively charged particles, providing mechanistic insights for mitigating antibiotic resistance spread in contaminated environments.
Distinct responses of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 exposed to different levels of polystyrene nanoplastics
Researchers examined the molecular mechanisms by which polystyrene nanoplastics affect Pseudomonas aeruginosa, finding dose-dependent responses in growth, metabolism, and virulence gene expression that reveal how nanoplastics interact with environmentally relevant bacteria.
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.
Impacts of polystyrene nanoplastics on zebrafish gut microbiota and mechanistic insights
Zebrafish exposed to polystyrene nanoplastics showed significant changes in their gut bacteria, with beneficial species like Bifidobacterium declining and potentially harmful bacteria increasing. The nanoplastics physically entered intestinal tissues, causing visible damage to gut cells. This study is relevant to human health because our gut microbiome plays a key role in immunity and digestion, and similar disruption from nanoplastic exposure could contribute to digestive and immune problems.
Distinct lipid membrane interaction and uptake of differentially charged nanoplastics in bacteria
Researchers studied how nanoplastics with different surface charges interact with bacterial cell membranes, finding that positively charged particles penetrate bacteria far more effectively than neutral or negatively charged ones. The positively charged nanoplastics caused more cellular stress by generating reactive oxygen species and damaged cell structures differently depending on the bacterial type. These findings are important for understanding how nanoplastics may affect both environmental bacteria and the human microbiome.
Polystyrene nanoplastics foster Escherichia coli O157:H7 growth and antibiotic resistance with a stimulating effect on metabolism
Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics promoted the growth and antibiotic resistance of pathogenic E. coli O157:H7 by stimulating bacterial metabolism, raising concerns about increased contamination risks in aquatic environments.
Perturbation of Nanoplastics on Biomembranes: Molecular Insights from Neutron Scattering
Using neutron scattering, researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics — with and without surface modifications — perturb the structure and dynamics of both simple and complex bacterial-model biomembranes, suggesting nanoplastics can physically disrupt cell membrane function.
Effects of unmodified and amine-functionalized polystyrene nanoplastics on nitrogen removal by Pseudomonas stutzeri: strain characteristics, extracellular polymers, and transcriptomics
Researchers investigated how two types of polystyrene nanoplastics — plain and amine-modified — affect the ability of bacteria to remove nitrogen from water, a process important for wastewater treatment. The amine-coated nanoplastics were found to be more disruptive than unmodified ones, altering the bacteria's cell surface, extracellular proteins, and gene expression. This matters because nanoplastics entering wastewater systems could undermine the biological processes that keep treated water safe to release into the environment.
Polystyrene nanoplastics trigger changes in cell surface properties of freshwater and marine cyanobacteria
Polystyrene nanoplastics altered cell surface properties—including charge, hydrophobicity, and extracellular polymeric substance composition—in both freshwater and marine cyanobacteria without affecting growth or structure, suggesting cyanobacteria employ adaptive surface remodeling strategies to resist nanoplastic stress.
Divergent responses in microbial metabolic limitations and carbon use efficiency to variably sized polystyrene microplastics in soil
Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics of all sizes disrupted soil microbe metabolism, but the smallest particles (nanoscale, 0.1 micrometers) caused the most stress. Smaller particles were more likely to enter microbial cells directly and reduce the efficiency with which soil microbes process carbon. This matters because soil microbes play a critical role in carbon cycling, and widespread microplastic contamination could affect how soil stores and releases carbon.
Polystyrene nanoplastics disrupt the intestinal microenvironment by altering bacteria-host interactions through extracellular vesicle-delivered microRNAs
Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics disrupt the gut lining in mice by altering tiny RNA molecules that control the production of protective proteins in the intestinal barrier. The nanoplastics also caused an imbalance in gut bacteria, creating a chain reaction where damaged gut cells release particles that further weaken the intestinal barrier and change the microbiome.
Insights into the interaction mechanism of ofloxacin and functionalized nano-polystyrene.
This study investigated how the antibiotic ofloxacin interacts with functionalized polystyrene nanoplastics, finding that surface charge and functional groups on the nanoplastics strongly influenced binding strength and mechanisms. The results improve understanding of how nanoplastics can act as carriers for antibiotics in the environment, potentially altering their fate and biological effects.
Exposure to Nanoplastic Particles Enhances Acinetobacter Survival, Biofilm Formation, and Serum Resistance
Researchers found that nanopolystyrene particles enhance the survival, biofilm formation, and serum resistance of the bacterial pathogen Acinetobacter johnsonii, suggesting nanoplastics may increase the virulence and persistence of environmental pathogens.
Charge-specific impacts of polystyrene nanoplastics on acidogenesis and biofilm adaptation in Ethanoligenens harbinense
Positively and negatively charged polystyrene nanoplastics had different effects on acidobacteria (a major group of soil bacteria), with charge-specific impacts on community composition and activity. The findings indicate that the surface chemistry of nanoplastics, not just their size, determines ecological impact.