Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

The fate and risk of microplastic and antibiotic sulfamethoxazole coexisting in the environment

Researchers investigated sulfamethoxazole antibiotic adsorption onto polyamide microplastics and found that pH significantly influenced uptake, with adsorbed antibiotics more readily released in natural water than ultrapure water, posing environmental risks.

2022 Environmental Geochemistry and Health 29 citations
Review Tier 2

Antibiotic sorption onto microplastics in water: A critical review of the factors, mechanisms and implications

This review critically examines the factors that influence how antibiotics attach to microplastics in water. Researchers found that environmental weathering can increase antibiotic absorption by up to 171%, while higher salinity can reduce it by up to 100%, with pH also playing a major role. The study highlights that microplastics serving as carriers of antibiotics could contribute to the spread of antibiotic resistance, making this interaction an important environmental concern.

2023 Water Research 212 citations
Article Tier 2

Selectively enrichment of antibiotics and ARGs by microplastics in river, estuary and marine waters

Researchers investigated how microplastics interact with antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes across river, estuary, and marine environments of varying salinity. They found that microplastics can concentrate both antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes from surrounding water, with this enrichment effect being strongest in freshwater and decreasing as salinity increases. The study raises concerns that microplastics may serve as vehicles for spreading antibiotic resistance in aquatic ecosystems.

2019 The Science of The Total Environment 210 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics from surgical masks: A piggy-back ride for sulfamethoxazole in the sea

This study found that microplastics derived from surgical masks can act as carriers for the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole in seawater, with the drug adsorbing onto mask-derived plastic particles and potentially increasing its persistence and bioavailability in marine environments.

2024
Article Tier 2

Sorption behavior of oxytetracycline on microplastics and the influence of environmental factors in groundwater: Experimental investigation and molecular dynamics simulation

This study examined how oxytetracycline antibiotic adsorbs onto different types of microplastics and how environmental factors such as pH, salinity, and UV exposure influence sorption behavior. The findings indicate microplastics can act as vectors transporting antibiotics through aquatic environments.

2024 Journal of Contaminant Hydrology 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption of antibiotics onto aged microplastics in freshwater and seawater

Aged microplastics were found to sorb antibiotics from fresh and saltwater, with aging processes altering the surface properties of the plastic and increasing antibiotic binding capacity in some cases. The adsorption of antibiotics onto aged microplastics could facilitate their transport and delivery to aquatic organisms, potentially contributing to antibiotic resistance in environmental bacteria.

2019 Marine Pollution Bulletin 273 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic–Tebuconazole Interactions Under Ocean Acidification: Role of Material Type and Salinity

Researchers investigated the adsorption of the fungicide tebuconazole onto various microplastic materials under ocean acidification and varying salinity conditions, finding that adsorption capacity differed among degradable and conventional microplastic types and that both acidification and salinity significantly modulated pollutant-microplastic interactions in simulated marine environments.

2025 Environmental Engineering Science
Article Tier 2

Interaction between Microplastics and Pharmaceuticals Depending on the Composition of Aquatic Environment

This review examines how aquatic environmental conditions — including dissolved organic matter, salinity, pH, and temperature — influence the adsorption and desorption of pharmaceuticals onto microplastic surfaces, showing that water composition significantly affects the extent to which microplastics act as vectors for drug contaminants.

2022 Microplastics 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of Salinity, pH, and Cu(II) on the Adsorption Behaviors of Tetracycline onto Polyvinyl Chloride Microplastics: A Site Energy Distribution Analysis

PVC microplastic adsorption of tetracycline antibiotic decreased with increasing salinity and pH, while coexisting Cu2+ ions enhanced adsorption through bridging interactions, providing insights into how environmental factors affect antibiotic-microplastic interactions in aquatic systems.

2023 Water 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Mechanistic insight into different adsorption of norfloxacin on microplastics in simulated natural water and real surface water

This study compared the adsorption of norfloxacin antibiotic onto microplastics in simulated natural water versus real surface water, finding that natural organic matter and competing ions in real water significantly reduced antibiotic uptake by microplastics.

2021 Environmental Pollution 81 citations
Article Tier 2

Implications of polystyrene and polyamide microplastics in the adsorption of sulfonamide antibiotics and their metabolites in water matrices

Researchers found that polystyrene and polyamide microplastics can absorb sulfonamide antibiotics from water, with smaller particles and acidic conditions increasing absorption significantly. This means microplastics in the environment can act as carriers for antibiotics, potentially spreading antimicrobial resistance. The finding raises concerns because people may be exposed to both microplastics and the drugs they carry through contaminated water and food.

2024 Aquatic Toxicology 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Desorption of sulfamethoxazole from polyamide 6 microplastics: Environmental factors, simulated gastrointestinal fluids, and desorption mechanisms

Researchers examined the adsorption of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) onto polyamide 6 microplastics and the desorption behavior under different environmental conditions including simulated seawater, gastric fluid, and intestinal fluid, finding that desorption was significantly higher in gastrointestinal fluids than in aqueous environments. The results suggest that organisms ingesting antibiotic-loaded polyamide microplastics may experience higher internal antibiotic exposure than previously estimated.

2023 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics play a minor role in tetracycline sorption in the presence of dissolved organic matter

Researchers studied the sorption of the antibiotic tetracycline onto microplastics in the presence of dissolved organic matter, finding that dissolved organics competed strongly for binding sites on microplastics, meaning real-world conditions substantially reduce microplastic uptake of tetracycline.

2018 Environmental Pollution 439 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of antibiotics on microplastics

This study examined the adsorption of antibiotics onto different microplastic types, finding that sorption capacity depended on both the antibiotic's chemical properties and the plastic's surface characteristics, with implications for antibiotic transport in aquatic environments.

2018 Environmental Pollution 1314 citations
Article Tier 2

The sorption kinetics and isotherms of sulfamethoxazole with polyethylene microplastics

The sorption of the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole onto polyethylene microplastics was well described by pseudo-second-order kinetics and Freundlich isotherms, with the process controlled by partitioning into the polymer matrix. The study demonstrates that microplastics can accumulate antibiotics from seawater, raising concerns about contributing to antibiotic resistance through environmental spread of these compounds.

2018 Marine Pollution Bulletin 278 citations
Article Tier 2

Transport of microplastic-antibiotic co-contaminants in tidal zones

Researchers studied how microplastics carrying the antibiotic tetracycline move through tidal zone environments. They found that tidal conditions influenced how effectively microplastics adsorbed and transported the antibiotic, with factors like salinity and sediment type playing important roles. The study highlights that microplastics can serve as vehicles for spreading antibiotic contamination through sensitive coastal ecosystems.

2025 Environmental Pollution 11 citations
Article Tier 2

The effects of environmental conditions on the enrichment of antibiotics on microplastics in simulated natural water column

Researchers investigated how environmental ageing conditions affect the ability of microplastics to adsorb the antibiotic tetracycline, finding that pH, ionic strength, and temperature had little effect, but humic acid significantly reduced adsorption capacity. The reduction was attributed to humic acid covering plastic surfaces, altering hydrophobicity, and competing for adsorption sites via electrostatic repulsion.

2018 Environmental Research 121 citations
Article Tier 2

Deciphering the interaction of sulfamethoxazole with biodegradable versus conventional, virgin versus aged microplastics in aquatic environment

Researchers compared how biodegradable and conventional microplastics interact with the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole in water, both before and after UV aging. They found that biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics had the highest capacity to absorb the antibiotic, and that aging generally increased absorption for all plastic types. The study suggests that microplastics in waterways may act as carriers for pharmaceutical pollutants, with biodegradable plastics potentially posing a greater transport risk than conventional ones.

2025 Journal of Environmental Sciences 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Quantitative assessment of interactions of hydrophilic organic contaminants with microplastics in natural water environment

Researchers quantified how microplastics interact with common antibiotic pollutants in natural water conditions, comparing virgin and environmentally aged polystyrene particles. They found that aged microplastics absorbed significantly more antibiotics than new ones due to increased surface area and chemical changes from weathering. The study suggests that as microplastics age in the environment, they become more effective at concentrating and transporting other harmful pollutants.

2022 Water Research 91 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

A critical review of the adsorption-desorption characteristics of antibiotics on microplastics and their combined toxic effects

This systematic review examines how microplastics absorb and release antibiotics in the environment, and the combined toxic effects of this interaction. When microplastics carrying antibiotics are ingested by living organisms, they may promote antibiotic resistance and cause greater harm than either pollutant alone, which is a growing concern for human health.

2024 Environmental Technology & Innovation 58 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption interactions between typical microplastics and enrofloxacin: Relevant contributions to the mechanism

This study investigated how common microplastics (polyethylene, PVC, and polystyrene) absorb the antibiotic enrofloxacin from the environment. The researchers found that microplastics can effectively bind antibiotics through multiple chemical mechanisms, with the strength of binding depending on water conditions like acidity. This is concerning because microplastics carrying antibiotics could transport them into the food chain, potentially contributing to antibiotic resistance and affecting human health.

2024 Chemosphere 65 citations
Article Tier 2

The occurrence of microplastic in specific organs in commercially caught fishes from coast and estuary area of east China

Researchers studied how polyethylene microplastics interact with the antibiotic ciprofloxacin in aquatic environments and found that the plastic particles can absorb and concentrate the drug on their surface. The adsorption capacity increased with weathering of the plastic, suggesting that aged microplastics in the environment are more effective carriers of pharmaceutical pollutants. The findings raise concerns that microplastics could transport antibiotics through water systems, potentially contributing to antimicrobial resistance.

2018 Journal of Hazardous Materials 453 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of ciprofloxacin on bacterial abundance and enrichments in samples taken from the sea surface microlayer and underlying waters in the southern North Sea

The antibiotic ciprofloxacin was found to alter bacterial community composition and promote the enrichment of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in microplastic-associated biofilms. The results suggest that microplastics coated with antibiotics act as incubators for antibiotic resistance in aquatic environments.

2025 Frontiers in Microbiology 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Interaction of Microplastics with Antibiotics in Aquatic Environment: Distribution, Adsorption, and Toxicity

This review examines how microplastics and antibiotics interact in waterways, finding that microplastics can absorb antibiotics from the water and change their availability and toxicity to aquatic organisms. Critically, microplastics also provide surfaces where antibiotic resistance genes can accumulate and spread among bacteria. This is concerning for human health because it means microplastics in water could be accelerating the spread of antibiotic-resistant infections.

2021 Environmental Science & Technology 415 citations