The research teams of Prof. Barbara Kirchner, Prof. Oldamur Hollóczki (Universität Debrecen, Hungary) and Prof. Lukas Kenner (Medical University Vienna, Austria) studied how the broad spectrum antibiotic tetracycline behaves in the presence of some widely used plastics like Nylon 66 (N66), Polystyrene (PS), Polypropylene (PP) and Polyethylene (PE) using theoretical and experimental approaches.
The results show that nanoplastics can both adsorb tetracycline on their surface and completely absorb the antibiotic, with the adsorption affinity following the order Nylon 66 (N66) > Polystyrene (PS) > Polypropylene (PP) > Polyethylene (PE). The effectiveness of tetracycline decreases in the presence of plastics. Classical molecular dynamics simulations confirm the stability and mobility of the tetracycline-nanoplastic complexes. The reversible adsorption suggests that nanoplastics have the potential to transport tetracycline across different environments, raising concerns about unwanted drug exposure and the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. These results highlight the potential health and environmental risks associated with nanoplastics and the need for further research to better understand their effects.
The study has attracted a lot of attention and has been quoted in news articles and blogs. The article is in the 99th percentile of all tracked articles of a similar age in all journals: