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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Polystyrene-degrading bacteria modulate host stress and toxicity responses to microplastic exposure in Caenorhabditis elegans
ClearPolystyrene-degrading bacteria in the gut microbiome of marine benthic polychaetes support enhanced digestion of plastic fragments
Researchers found that marine worms called clamworms harbor gut bacteria capable of breaking down polystyrene foam, but this digestion also generates microplastics averaging 0.6 mm in diameter, meaning these worms both degrade and produce microplastics — complicating their role in marine plastic pollution.
Changes in Intestinal Microbiota Due to the Expanded Polystyrene Diet of Mealworms (Tenebrio molitor)
Researchers found that mealworms (Tenebrio molitor) fed expanded polystyrene (EPS) showed significant changes in intestinal microbiota composition compared to controls, suggesting gut microbiome shifts accompany the biological degradation of polystyrene microplastics.
Microplastics impact the accumulation of metals in earthworms by changing the gut bacterial communities
Researchers exposed earthworms to three sizes of polystyrene microplastics (0.1, 10, and 100 micrometers) to study effects on metal accumulation and gut bacteria. The study found that microplastics reduced nickel and lead accumulation in earthworms while significantly altering gut bacterial communities. The results suggest that microplastics influence heavy metal bioavailability in soil organisms by changing gut microbiome composition.
Polystyrene influences bacterial assemblages in Arenicola marina-populated aquatic environments in vitro
This study found that polystyrene microplastics altered the bacterial communities in the gut of the marine worm Arenicola marina and in surrounding sediments, including increasing the abundance of potential pathogens. The results raise concern that microplastic ingestion by marine invertebrates could disrupt their gut microbiome in ways that affect their health and the broader sediment ecosystem.
Polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs) toxicity induced oxidative stress and intestinal injury in nematode Caenorhabditis elegans
Researchers exposed the nematode C. elegans to various concentrations of polystyrene microplastics and measured physiological, biochemical, and molecular responses. The study found that microplastics accumulated in the intestine and caused oxidative stress, intestinal injury, and adverse physiological effects at concentrations as low as 1 microgram per liter, suggesting that even low-level microplastic exposure can damage gut tissues.
Impacts of polystyrene microplastic on the gut barrier, microbiota and metabolism of mice
Researchers exposed mice to polystyrene microplastics for six weeks and found that the particles accumulated in the gut, reduced protective mucus secretion, and damaged the intestinal barrier. The microplastics also significantly altered the composition of gut bacteria, decreasing beneficial species and increasing harmful ones. The study suggests that microplastic ingestion could disrupt gut health in mammals by simultaneously impairing the physical barrier and reshaping the microbiome.
Unveiling the gut’s plastic predicament: How micro- and nano-plastics drive distinct toxicological pathways in Enchytraeus crypticus
Researchers exposed the soil invertebrate Enchytraeus crypticus to environmentally relevant concentrations of polystyrene microplastics (50 µm) and nanoplastics (100 nm), finding that nanoplastics caused greater gut microenvironment disruption and more severe biotoxicity than microplastics, acting through distinct mechanistic pathways.
The effects of high-density polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics on the soil and earthworm Metaphire guillelmi gut microbiota
Researchers exposed earthworms to soil amended with high-density polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics for 28 days and examined changes in both the earthworm gut and soil microbial communities. They found that both types of microplastics significantly altered the composition and diversity of gut bacteria in the earthworms. The study suggests that microplastic contamination in soil can disrupt the gut microbiota of soil organisms, with potential consequences for soil ecosystem health.
Fecal microbiota transplantation attenuates nano-plastics induced toxicity in Caenorhabditis elegans.
Nano-sized plastic particles ingested by the roundworm C. elegans penetrated the intestinal barrier, accumulated throughout the body, and were not excreted until the worms died — and transplanting human gut microbiota into the worms partially mitigated the toxicity. The study provides early evidence that a healthy gut microbiome may help protect against nanoplastic harm, and that these particles can persist indefinitely once inside an organism.
Gut Check: Microbiota and Obesity in Mice Exposed to Polystyrene Microspheres
Researchers found that gut microbiota appeared to play a mediating role in the obesity outcomes observed in mice fed manufactured polystyrene microspheres, suggesting that microplastic-induced alterations to the gut microbiome may be a mechanism linking microplastic exposure to metabolic dysfunction and weight gain.
Unveiling the impact of short-term polyethylene microplastics exposure on metabolomics and gut microbiota in earthworms (Eudrilus euganiae)
Researchers exposed earthworms to polyethylene microplastics and found significant disruptions in their metabolism and gut bacteria, even when no visible signs of stress were present. The microplastics affected energy and lipid metabolism, anti-inflammatory processes, cell signaling, and membrane integrity. The study suggests that microplastics can cause hidden biological harm to soil organisms well before any outward symptoms appear.
The microplastic-crisis: Role of bacteria in fighting microplastic-effects in the digestive system
This review examines how microplastics affect the human digestive system and explores whether certain bacteria could help counteract the damage. Microplastics disrupt the gut by altering microbial communities, interfering with digestive enzymes, and damaging the protective mucus lining. The authors highlight the potential for probiotic bacteria to bind to microplastics, reduce inflammation, and help repair the gut environment, offering a possible protective strategy against microplastic-related digestive harm.
Microplastic pollution inhibits the phagocytosis of E. coli by earthworm immune cells in soil
Researchers discovered that polystyrene microplastics inhibit the ability of earthworm immune cells to engulf bacteria through phagocytosis, both in laboratory tests and in soil experiments. The microplastics also caused mitochondrial damage in intestinal tissue and suppressed oxidative stress responses in immune cells. This is the first study to demonstrate that microplastic pollution in soil can compromise the immune defenses of earthworms, key organisms in soil ecosystem health.
Effect of microplastic pollution on the gut microbiome of anecic and endogeic earthworms
Researchers investigated how low-density polyethylene microplastic pollution affects the gut microbiome of two types of earthworms with different burrowing lifestyles. They found that microplastics altered the relative abundance of several bacterial groups in both species, with deeper-burrowing anecic earthworms showing more pronounced effects and reduced survival. The study suggests that microplastic contamination in soil may disrupt the gut microbial communities of earthworms, with impacts varying by species and ecological behavior.
Polystyrene microplastics induce endoplasmic reticulum stress, apoptosis and inflammation by disrupting the gut microbiota in carp intestines
Researchers fed carp polystyrene microplastics and found that the particles disrupted their gut bacteria, killing off beneficial species and promoting those linked to diseases. The microplastics triggered a stress response in intestinal cells that led to inflammation, cell death, and tissue damage. Since carp is a widely eaten fish, these gut health effects raise questions about how microplastics in aquatic environments could affect the safety of fish that humans consume.
Metabolic Reprogramming in Gut Microbiota Exposed to Polystyrene Microplastics
This pilot study exposed common gut bacteria to polystyrene microplastics in the lab and found that the plastics reduced bacterial growth in a dose-dependent manner and disrupted key metabolic pathways. When gut bacteria from mice were tested, microplastic exposure shifted the microbial community balance, reducing beneficial species. These results suggest that microplastics ingested through food and water could alter the gut microbiome, which plays an important role in digestion, immunity, and overall health.
Exposure to polystyrene nanoparticles at predicted environmental concentrations enhances toxic effects of Acinetobacter johnsonii AC15 infection on Caenorhabditis elegans
Researchers found that exposure to polystyrene nanoparticles at low, environmentally realistic concentrations made a bacterial infection significantly more harmful to the roundworm C. elegans. The nanoparticles increased bacterial accumulation in the worms' bodies and weakened their innate immune responses. The study suggests that nanoplastic pollution in the environment could amplify the toxicity of common microbial pathogens.
Multiple perspectives reveal the gut toxicity of polystyrene microplastics on Eisenia fetida: Insights into community signatures of gut bacteria and their translocation
Researchers studied the gut toxicity of polystyrene microplastics on the earthworm Eisenia fetida, examining gut barrier dysfunction, bacterial translocation, and pathogen invasion. The study found that microplastic exposure caused gut barrier damage, including injury to epithelial cells and reduced expression of tight junction genes. Evidence indicates that microplastics can disrupt earthworm gut integrity and alter gut bacterial communities, potentially facilitating pathogen entry.
Combined Effects of Micro- and Nanoplastics at the Predicted Environmental Concentration on Functional State of Intestinal Barrier in Caenorhabditis elegans
Researchers used the roundworm C. elegans to study the combined effects of nano- and micro-sized polystyrene particles at concentrations similar to what is found in the environment. They found that co-exposure caused more severe intestinal damage than either particle size alone, including increased oxidative stress and impaired gut barrier function. The study suggests that the real-world mixture of different-sized plastic particles may be more harmful than studies of single sizes would predict.
Assessing the Impact of Nutritional Stress on the Identification of Plastic-Associated Bacteria in Insect Gut Microbiota
Scientists studied the gut bacteria of plastic-eating insects to find microbes that might help break down plastic waste, but they discovered a major problem with the research method. When insects eat only plastic, they're basically starving, and this starvation changes their gut bacteria in ways that have nothing to do with plastic breakdown. This finding suggests that previous studies may have incorrectly identified which bacteria actually digest plastic, which matters because these microbes could potentially help solve our growing plastic pollution problem.
Understanding the Ecological Robustness and Adaptability of the Gut Microbiome in Plastic-Degrading Superworms (Zophobas atratus) in Response to Microplastics and Antibiotics
Researchers studied superworms (Zophobas atratus larvae) that can eat and break down five major types of plastic, including polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene. They found that the gut microbiome of these insects adapted to digest different plastics even when challenged with antibiotics, suggesting the larvae and their gut bacteria work together in a robust system that could inform future plastic biodegradation strategies.
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.
Isolation of Plastic Digesting Microbes from the Gastrointestinal Tract of Tenebrio Molitor
Researchers isolated bacteria from the gut of Tenebrio molitor mealworm larvae that are capable of degrading polystyrene and polyethylene microplastics. The identified gut microbes showed plastic-degrading enzymatic activity, suggesting potential for bioremediation applications.
Mixture Effects of Polystyrene Microplastics on the Gut Microbiota in C57BL/6 Mice
Researchers exposed mice to polystyrene microplastics of different sizes, both individually and mixed together, and found that the mixture caused unique changes to gut bacteria and fungi not seen with either size alone. The mixed microplastics also altered microbial genes related to antibiotic resistance and virulence factors in the gut. This suggests that real-world exposure to a mix of microplastic sizes may have different and potentially more harmful effects on gut health than exposure to a single size.