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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Growth and membrane stress responses in E. coli and Acinetobacter sp. upon exposure to functionalized polystyrene microplastics
ClearDose-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.
Comparative evaluation of molecular mechanisms triggered by differently functionalized polystyrene nanoplastics in human colon cell lines
Researchers compared molecular and cellular mechanisms triggered by differently surface-functionalized micro- and nanoplastics in human intestinal and liver cells, finding that surface chemistry strongly determines biological effects. Functionalized particles elicited distinct patterns of oxidative stress, inflammation, and membrane damage compared to unfunctionalized particles.
Comparative evaluation of molecular mechanisms triggered by differently functionalized polystyrene nanoplastics in human colon cell lines
Researchers compared molecular mechanisms triggered by differently functionalized micro- and nanoplastics in human cells, assessing how surface chemistry affects cellular responses. Surface functionalization significantly altered the toxicity profile of particles, with some coatings increasing and others decreasing inflammatory and oxidative responses.
Interfacial 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.
Comparative evaluation of molecular mechanisms triggered by differently functionalized polystyrene nanoplastics in human colon cell lines
Researchers compared the molecular mechanisms triggered by polystyrene nanoplastics with different surface functionalization in human colon cell lines. The study examined how surface chemistry of nanoplastic particles influences their biological interactions with intestinal cells, contributing to understanding of how nanoplastics may affect the human gastrointestinal system.
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.
Effects of polystyrene nanoplastics on extracellular polymeric substance composition of activated sludge: The role of surface functional groups
Researchers investigated how three types of polystyrene nanoplastics with different surface functional groups affect activated sludge used in wastewater treatment. All three types significantly reduced total protein production in the sludge and caused cellular oxidative stress and membrane damage, with positively charged particles causing the most harm. The findings suggest that nanoplastic contamination in wastewater could impair the biological processes essential for effective sewage treatment.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Developmental toxicity of functionalized polystyrene microplastics and their inhibitory effects on fin regeneration in zebrafish
Researchers exposed zebrafish to polystyrene microplastics with different surface modifications and found that all types caused developmental toxicity, including increased mortality, reduced body length, and impaired swimming ability. The amino-modified particles were generally the most harmful, also inhibiting fin regeneration after injury. The study suggests that surface chemistry plays a critical role in determining how microplastics interact with biological systems.
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.
Surface functional groups and biofilm formation on microplastics: Environmental implications
This review explains that microplastics in the environment are not the same as freshly made plastic -- weathering and aging change their surface chemistry and allow bacteria to form films on them. These changes make microplastics more toxic and better at absorbing and transporting other pollutants through water and soil. Understanding this transformation is important because it means the microplastics humans encounter are likely more harmful than lab-tested pristine particles suggest.
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.
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.
Comparative evaluation of molecular mechanisms triggered by differently functionalized polystyrene nanoplastics in human colon cell lines
Researchers compared the molecular responses triggered by polystyrene nanoplastics with different surface chemical groups in human colon cell lines. The study investigated how the specific functionalization of nanoplastic surfaces influences the cellular and molecular pathways activated upon exposure in human intestinal tissue.
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.
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.
Adsorption characteristics of antibiotics on microplastics: The effect of surface contamination with an anionic surfactant
Researchers found that the common anionic surfactant SDBS coating polystyrene and polyethylene microplastics significantly altered their adsorption of the antibiotics oxytetracycline and norfloxacin. SDBS changed the surface charge and hydrophobicity of MPs in ways that increased antibiotic binding, suggesting surfactant-contaminated MPs pose a greater risk as antibiotic vectors in aquatic environments.
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.
Exposure to polystyrene nanoparticles leads to changes in the zeta potential of bacterial cells
Researchers exposed two common bacteria — Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae — to 100-nanometer polystyrene plastic particles and found that the nanoparticles attached to bacterial cell surfaces, changing their electrical charge (zeta potential) without killing the cells. This matters because nanoplastics interacting with bacteria in the human gut microbiome could alter microbial behavior in ways that are not yet fully understood.
Toxicities of polystyrene nano- and microplastics toward marine bacterium Halomonas alkaliphila
Polystyrene nano- and microplastics were found to be toxic to the marine bacterium Halomonas alkaliphila, with nanoplastics causing more severe membrane damage and oxidative stress than microplastics of equivalent mass. The results highlight that nanoplastics may pose greater risks to marine microbial communities than larger particles, with potential cascading effects on ocean biogeochemical cycles.
Colonization characteristics and surface effects of microplastic biofilms: Implications for environmental behavior of typical pollutants
This review examines how bacteria colonize microplastic surfaces in water, forming biofilms that change how the plastics behave in the environment. These biofilms alter the surface properties of microplastics and affect how they absorb and transport heavy metals and other pollutants. Understanding biofilm formation on microplastics is important because it can make the particles more dangerous by concentrating toxic substances that could eventually enter the food chain.