Influence and Mechanisms of Polystyrene Micro/Nanoplastics on the Transfer of Antibiotic Resistance Genes
Journal Title: Energy Environmental Protection - Year 2025, Vol 39, Issue 1
Abstract
As emerging environmental pollutants, antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and micro/nanoplastics (MPs/NPs) have been detected in various environmental media worldwide. Due to their small size and large surface area, MPs/NPs possess significant potential to act as carriers of ARGs. As such, the combined pollution of ARGs and MPs/NPs has attracted widespread attention due to their potential synergistic effects. Although MPs/NPs are considered key factors in the spread of ARGs in environmental media, knowledge of the effects and mechanisms of MPs/NPs on the horizontal transfer (particularly the transformation process) of ARGs in Escherichia coli (E. coli) is still largely limited. To bridge this knowledge gap, this study investigated the effects of different concentrations and sizes of polystyrene (PS) on the horizontal transfer of ARGs. We constructed a plasmid-mediated transformation system using the antibiotic-resistant plasmid pUC19 as donor and E. coli as recipient bacteria. Our results showed that after exposure to 5 mg/L 100 μm, 50 mg/L 100 μm, 5 mg/L 100 nm, and 50 mg/L 100 nm PS, the growth inhibition rates of E. coli reached 15.13%, 18.59%, 26.97%, and 35.84%, respectively (p < 0.01). In addition, the impact of PS MPs (⤠5 mg/L) and PS NPs (⤠50 mg/L) could significantly promote the transformation process of ARGs in a concentration-dependent manner. Under the same PS concentration, the ARGs transformation frequency decreased with increasing PS particle size. Specifically, 100 nm PS at 50 mg/L increased the transfer frequency by 79.34%. However, 1 mm PS particles at 50 mg/L resulted in a 21.80% decrease in the ARGs transformation frequency, suggesting that 1 mm PS particles at this concentration inhibit ARGs transfer. Based on the live/dead cell detection, we revealed that, with increasing PS concentration, cell membrane permeability in E. coli significantly increased by 56.66% to 69.47% compared to the control group. Under the condition of the same PS concentration, the cell membrane permeability rises as the PS size diminishes, implying a negative correlation between them. Similarly, the cell membrane permeability in NPs exposure was increased by 41.99% to 46.62%. These results demonstrated that high concentrations of NPs might enhance the cell membrane permeability in E. coli, thus facilitating the horizontal transfer of ARGs. Our findings elucidated the influence mechanism of MPs/NPs on the transformation of ARGs, providing a theoretical basis and technical guidance for the efficient assessments and control of combined ARGs and MPs/NPs pollution.
Authors and Affiliations
Zhenping TANG,Zixuan GONG,Boyang LIU,Jian SONG,Shuai ZHOU,
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP762197
- DOI 10.20078/j.eep.20250107
- Views 33
- Downloads 0
Research Progress of Solid Amine Adsorbents for Direct Air Capture
Direct air capture (DAC) technology is a promising carbon removal method with great potential to address CO2 emissions and support the achievement of future carbon neutrality. The high selectivity, low energy consumption...
Computational study on pyrolysis mechanism of β-5 linked lignin dimers
Lignin is a highly complex amorphous three-dimensional network polymer connected by C—O bond and C—C bond. Understanding the bond cleavage mechanism during lignin pyrolysis is crucial for advancing efficient pyrolysis te...
Advances in low-temperature flue gas denitrification catalyst research
In coal-fired, cement and waste incineration plants, water vapour and SO_2 contained in the flue gas could easily lead to poisoning and deactivation of the catalyst under low-temperature environments. Therefore, addressi...
Treatment of large-scale mine drainage with high suspended solid and fluoride by the process of two-stage preprecipitation and mechanical clarifier: A case study of Zhengtong coal mine
Treatment and resource utilization of mine drainage is an effective way to protect the ecological environment and address the issue of water shortage in mining areas. According to the characteristics of mine drainage of...
Progress in oxidative degradation and recovery of polyolefin plastics
Polyolefin plastics play an important role in both production and life due to the excellent characteristics, such as east processing, low price and outstanding performance. It has become the most widely used plastics at...