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Talanta Nov 2022Micro/nanoplastics (MNPs) have received global concern due to their widespread contamination, ingestion in organisms, and the ability to cross the biological barrier....
Micro/nanoplastics (MNPs) have received global concern due to their widespread contamination, ingestion in organisms, and the ability to cross the biological barrier. Although MNPs have been detected in a variety of ecosystems, the identification of single MNPs remains an unsolved challenge. Herein, for the first time, scanning electron microscope (SEM) coupled with surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), which combined the advantages of ultrahigh spatial resolution of SEM and structural fingerprint of Raman spectroscopy, was proposed to identify MNPs at single-particle level. Under the optimum conditions, the polystyrene (PS) MNPs with sizes of 500 nm and 1 μm were identified by the image of SEM and fingerprint peaks of Raman spectroscopy. Additionally, the applicability of the method in different sample matrices and for other types of MNPs such as poly-methyl methacrylate (PMMA) with the sizes of 300 nm, 1 μm were validated. This method is simple, rapid and effective and is likely to provide an essential tool to identify other micro/nanoparticles in addition to MNPs.
Topics: Ecosystem; Microplastics; Microscopy; Polystyrenes; Spectrum Analysis, Raman
PubMed: 35751923
DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2022.123701 -
Proceedings of the National Academy of... Aug 2022Plastic waste represents one of the most urgent environmental challenges facing humankind. Upcycling has been proposed to solve the low profitability and high market...
Plastic waste represents one of the most urgent environmental challenges facing humankind. Upcycling has been proposed to solve the low profitability and high market sensitivity of known recycling methods. Existing upcycling methods operate under energy-intense conditions and use precious-metal catalysts, but produce low-value oligomers, monomers, and common aromatics. Herein, we report a tandem degradation-upcycling strategy to exploit high-value chemicals from polystyrene (PS) waste with high selectivity. We first degrade PS waste to aromatics using ultraviolet (UV) light and then valorize the intermediate to diphenylmethane. Low-cost AlCl catalyzes both the reactions of degradation and upcycling at ambient temperatures under atmospheric pressure. The degraded intermediates can advantageously serve as solvents for processing the solid plastic wastes, forming a self-sustainable circuitry. The low-value-input and high-value-output approach is thus substantially more sustainable and economically viable than conventional thermal processes, which operate at high-temperature, high-pressure conditions and use precious-metal catalysts, but produce low-value oligomers, monomers, and common aromatics. The cascade strategy is resilient to impurities from plastic waste streams and is generalizable to other high-value chemicals (e.g., benzophenone, 1,2-diphenylethane, and 4-phenyl-4-oxo butyric acid). The upcycling to diphenylmethane was tested at 1-kg laboratory scale and attested by industrial-scale techno-economic analysis, demonstrating sustainability and economic viability without government subsidies or tax credits.
Topics: Plastics; Polystyrenes; Recycling; Refuse Disposal; Solvents
PubMed: 35969757
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2203346119 -
Sheng Wu Gong Cheng Xue Bao = Chinese... Mar 2023To investigate the formation of polystyrene nanoplastic-plant protein corona and its potential impact on plants, three differently modified polystyrene nanoplastics with...
To investigate the formation of polystyrene nanoplastic-plant protein corona and its potential impact on plants, three differently modified polystyrene nanoplastics with an average particle size of 200 nm were taken to interact with the leaf proteins of for 2 h, 4 h, 8 h, 16 h, 24 h, and 36 h, respectively. The morphological changes were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the surface roughness was determined by atomic force microscopy (AFM), the hydrated particle size and zeta potential were determined by nanoparticle size and zeta potential analyzer, and the protein composition of the protein corona was identified by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The proteins were classified in terms of biological processes, cellular components, and molecular functions to study the adsorption selection of nanoplastics to proteins, investigate the formation and characteristics of polystyrene nanoplastic-plant protein corona and predict the potential impact of protein corona on plants. The results showed that the morphological changes of the nanoplastics became clearer as the reaction time extends, as evidenced by the increase in size and roughness and the enhancement of stability, thus demonstrating the formation of protein corona. In addition, the transformation rate from soft to hard protein corona was basically the same for the three polystyrene nanoplastics in the formation of protein corona with leaf proteins under the same protein concentration conditions. Moreover, in the reaction with leaf proteins, the selective adsorption of the three nanoplastics to proteins with different isoelectric points and molecular weights differed, and the particle size and stability of the final formed protein corona also differed. Since a large portion of the protein fraction in protein corona is involved in photosynthesis, it is hypothesized that the formation of the protein corona may affect photosynthesis in . .
Topics: Polystyrenes; Protein Corona; Microplastics; Plant Proteins; Chromatography, Liquid; Tandem Mass Spectrometry; Nanoparticles
PubMed: 36994581
DOI: 10.13345/j.cjb.220761 -
The Science of the Total Environment Oct 2023Plastic nanoparticles formed from both daily use of plastics and their wastes have emerged as a potential health and environmental hazard. It is necessary to study the...
Plastic nanoparticles formed from both daily use of plastics and their wastes have emerged as a potential health and environmental hazard. It is necessary to study the biological process of nanoplastics in ecological risk assessment. To address this concern, we quantitatively investigated the accumulation and depuration of polystyrene nanoplastics (PSNs) in the tissues of zebrafish after the aquatic exposure using a quantitative method based on matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). Via the PSNs-spiked freshwater, zebrafish were exposed to three different concentrations of PSNs for 30 days, followed by 16 days of depuration. The results showed that the amounts of PSNs accumulated in zebrafish tissues were in the following order: intestine > liver > gill > muscle > brain. The uptake and depuration of PSNs in zebrafish both followed pseudo-first-order kinetics. It was revealed that the bioaccumulation was concentration, tissue and time dependent. When the PSNs concentration is low, the steady state might take longer time (or not occur) than that of a high concentration. After 16 days of depuration, there were still some PSNs present in the tissues particularly in the brain, where it might take 70 days or more to remove 75 % of PSNs. Overall, this work offers important knowledge on the bioaccumulation of PSNs, which may be useful for future studies into the health hazards of PSNs in aquatic environments.
Topics: Animals; Zebrafish; Polystyrenes; Tissue Distribution; Microplastics; Bioaccumulation; Water Pollutants, Chemical; Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization
PubMed: 37321508
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164840 -
International Journal of Biological... Oct 2022Nanoplastics, as an emerging pollutant in the environment, have the potential to adsorb various macromolecules onto the surface to form protein corona that may change...
Nanoplastics, as an emerging pollutant in the environment, have the potential to adsorb various macromolecules onto the surface to form protein corona that may change the physicochemical properties and environmental fate of themselves, which deepens the uncertainty of their environmental hazards. Hence, in present study, we investigated the interaction between polystyrene nanoplastics and urease that forms protein corona over time in different conditions with atomic force microscopy, zeta potential, hydrodynamic diameter, and infrared spectroscopy. According to our results, polystyrene nanoplastics adsorbed urease and formed hard corona, changing the secondary structure of urease, and that the physicochemical properties of protein corona changed and stabilized over time. We concluded that even in a single-protein system, a dynamic process where protein molecules simultaneously adsorb onto and desorb from the surface of nanoplastics runs through the entire interaction. And we found that the formation and evolution of protein corona were governed by various interlinked factors (e.g., pH and nanoplastic surface modification types) instead of dominated by individual factor. This study aims to improve the knowledge about the formation of nanoplastic-protein corona and thus provide a reference for better evaluation of their environmental risk.
Topics: Microplastics; Nanoparticles; Polystyrenes; Protein Corona; Urease
PubMed: 35870622
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.07.104 -
Journal of Biomaterials Science.... Apr 2020Polystyrene-block-polyisoprene-block-polystyrene (SIS) has been used as biomaterials due to its soft and stable properties under physiological conditions. However, the...
Polystyrene-block-polyisoprene-block-polystyrene (SIS) has been used as biomaterials due to its soft and stable properties under physiological conditions. However, the thrombotic and inflammatory complications caused by SIS restrain its application as blood-contacting implant. To overcome this problem, the hydrophilic core-shell structured SIS-based microfiber with antioxidant encapsulation is fabricated with one-step reactive electrospinning. We demonstrate that the phase separation of SIS and acylated Pluronic F127 (F127-DA) components and crosslinking during electrospinning renders the microfiber blood compatible and stable under physiological condition; the encapsulation of 2-O-d-glucopyranosyl-l-ascorbic acid (AA-2G) in microfiber and subsequent release of AA-2G detoxifies the excess reactive oxygen species (ROS). The microfibers are nontoxic to cells and promote the fast growth and proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in the presence of ROS; the thrombotic and inflammatory complications are effectively reduced with implant evaluation . Therefore, our work paves a new way to improve the biocompatibility of SIS, making it a promising candidate for blood contact materials.
Topics: Butadienes; Electricity; Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells; Humans; Inflammation; Materials Testing; Pentanes; Poloxamer; Polystyrenes; Prostheses and Implants; Reactive Oxygen Species; Thrombosis
PubMed: 31860378
DOI: 10.1080/09205063.2019.1707943 -
Journal of the American Chemical Society Mar 2022Photonic Janus particles with a sphere fused to a cone are created from the phase separation of dendronized brush block copolymers (-BBCP) and...
Photonic Janus particles with a sphere fused to a cone are created from the phase separation of dendronized brush block copolymers (-BBCP) and poly(4-vinylpyridine)--polystyrene (P4VP--PS) during the solvent evaporation of oil-in-water emulsions. Rapid self-assembly of -BBCP generates well-ordered lamellar structures stacking along the long axis of the particles, producing structural colors that are dependent on the incident light angle. The colors are tunable over the visible spectrum by varying the molecular weight of -BBCP. The P4VP--PS phase can undergo further surface modifications to produce multifunctional photonic Janus particles. Specifically, real-time magnetic control of the reflected color is achieved by coating the P4VP--PS phase with citric acid-capped FeO nanoparticles. Charged biomolecules (i.e., antibodies) are electrostatically immobilized to the FeO coating for potential applications in biosensing. As a demonstration, a new photonic sensor for the foodborne pathogen is developed with antibody-modified photonic Janus particles, where the angle-dependent structural color plays a key role in the sensing mechanism.
Topics: Magnetics; Multifunctional Nanoparticles; Photons; Polystyrenes; Solvents
PubMed: 35297624
DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c01787 -
Environment International Nov 2021Microplastics are ubiquitously present in the environment, accumulate in aquaculture water, and cause toxicological effects on aquatic organisms. Besides, microplastics...
Microplastics are ubiquitously present in the environment, accumulate in aquaculture water, and cause toxicological effects on aquatic organisms. Besides, microplastics provide ecological niches for microorganisms in aquatic environments. However, the effects of microplastics on microbial balance and function in surrounding water are still unclear, especially for aquaculture water. Therefore, 16S rRNA gene sequencing was employed to uncover polystyrene microplastics (PS)-induced microbial dysbiosis in surrounding seawater cultivating marine medaka (Oryzias melastigmas) and to screen related potential bacterial biomarkers. We found that Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes were the dominant phyla in each group, accounting for more than 95% of the total abundance, and that 26 bacterial taxa belonging to Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes were significantly altered in surrounding seawater after 10- and 200-µm PS exposure. Functional analysis revelated that photosynthesis, carbon metabolism (such as carbon fixation, glycolysis, tricarboxylic acid cycle, and glycan biosynthesis and metabolism), amino acid metabolism, lipid synthesis, and nucleotide metabolism were decreased, while environmental stress responses, such as xenobiotics biodegradation and metabolism, glutathione metabolism, and taurine and hypotaurine metabolism, were increased in surrounding seawater microbiota after separate 10- and 200-µm PS exposure. Pathway analysis and correlation networks demonstrated that changes in relative abundances of bacterial taxa belonging to Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes were highly correlated with those in the liver metabolism of marine medaka. Subsequently, 8 bacterial taxa were discovered to be able to be used separately as the potential biomarker for assessing the surrounding seawater microbial dysbiosis and metabolic responses of marine medaka, with a diagnostic accuracy of 100.0%. This study provides novel insights into toxicological effects of microplastics on microbial dysbiosis and function in surrounding water and ecosystems, and suggests potential roles of biomarkers involved in surrounding microbial dysbiosis in assessing microplastic ecotoxicology, microbial dysbiosis, and the health status of organisms at higher trophic levels.
Topics: Aquatic Organisms; Dysbiosis; Humans; Microbiota; Microplastics; Plastics; Polystyrenes; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
PubMed: 34161907
DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2021.106724 -
Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Jan 2024Nanoplastics (NPs) are widely found and threaten environmental and biological safety, because they do not degrade completely. We aimed to preliminarily explore the...
Nanoplastics (NPs) are widely found and threaten environmental and biological safety, because they do not degrade completely. We aimed to preliminarily explore the toxicity of NPs in obese children, because childhood obesity is a growing global health concern. We used zebrafish as a vertebrate toxicological model to examine the hepatic lipid metabolism and gut microbiota in juvenile zebrafish exposed to 1000 μg/L polystyrene NPs and a high-fat diet (HFD) using Raman spectroscopy, pathological examination, transcriptome analysis, and 16S sequencing techniques. Our study showed that polystyrene NPs perturb the lipid metabolism and gut microbiota stability in zebrafish. Furthermore, the combined effects of polystyrene NPs and HFD resulted in gastrointestinal injury. Our study is one of the first to investigate the toxicity of polystyrene NPs to normal-diet and HFD juvenile zebrafish using confocal Raman spectroscopy. Our results show the importance of a healthy diet and a reduction in the use of plasticware. Environ Toxicol Chem 2024;43:147-158. © 2023 SETAC.
Topics: Child; Animals; Humans; Diet, High-Fat; Zebrafish; Polystyrenes; Microplastics; Pediatric Obesity; Liver; Intestines
PubMed: 37850736
DOI: 10.1002/etc.5767 -
Marine Pollution Bulletin Sep 2023The current experiment measured the multifaceted effects of polystyrene and fluoranthene, acting alone or in a mixture, on the meiobenthic nematode species Oncholaimus...
Do functional traits and biochemical biomarkers of the nematode Oncholaimus campylocercoides De Coninck and Schuurmans Stekhoven, 1933 affected by fluoranthene and polystyrene microplastics? Results from a microcosm bioassay and molecular modeling.
The current experiment measured the multifaceted effects of polystyrene and fluoranthene, acting alone or in a mixture, on the meiobenthic nematode species Oncholaimus campylocercoides. This Oncholaimid was first experimentally selected from an entire nematode assemblage taken from the Jeddah coasts (Saudi Arabia). Several discernible changes were found in morphometry and functional traits after exposure to single and combined treatments. An increase in the activity of the biochemical biomarkers catalase and glutathione S-transferase was also observed following the exposure of males and gravid females of O. campylocercoides to 37.5 ng fluoranthene·g dry weight (DW) and 62.5 mg polystyrene·kg DW paralleled by a higher vulnerability of females. Moreover, the reproduction and feeding of this species were impaired, starting from 37.5 ng fluoranthene·g and 62.5 mg polystyrene·kg, respectively. These results have been confirmed by good binding affinities and molecular interactions of fluoranthene and polystyrene with both GLD-3 and SDP receptors.
Topics: Animals; Female; Male; Microplastics; Polystyrenes; Plastics; Nematoda; Biomarkers
PubMed: 37506479
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115294