“Tiny Plastics, Big Problems: How Nanoplastics Could Be Reducing Antibiotic Potency”

Ms. Laiba Arsi
Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology
Kalinga University, Raipur

Nanoscience is a field of research that focusses on the special, size-dependent characteristics of solid-state materials and includes the investigation of matter’s properties at the nanoscale. Our water, soil, and food supply are progressively being contaminated by microscopic particles called nanoplastics as plastics continue to degrade in our environment. Surprisingly, these tiny particles—which are less than 100 nanometres in size—can interact with biological systems, raising new health risks for people. Nanoplastics may lessen the efficiency of antibiotics, which might be dangerous for both public health and contemporary medicine. This is one of the more concerning findings in recent study. The use of antibiotics to treat bacterial infections is essential, but their efficacy may be compromised by their interaction with nanoplastics. According to research, antibiotics may attach to nanoplastics, decreasing their availability and effectiveness. Furthermore, nanoplastics may physically interact with bacteria to alter their cell membranes, which may increase their resistance to antibiotics.

In a study conducted by Kenner et al. 2024, they found that when tetracycline binds to nanoplastic particles, it can decrease its biological activity and move it to unexpected places, which could result in bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. There may be a health danger if the local concentration of antibiotics on nanoplastic surfaces rises. Xu et al. 2024, found that by decreasing the size of the nanoparticles, exposure to NPLs can promote bacterial resistance to antibiotics. The largest of these, NPLs’ massive size (600 nm), largely affects how drug-sensitive bacterial cell membranes are, which raises antibiotic resistance. Smaller NPLs (200 nm) increased the expression of antibiotic resistance, mostly because to modifications in bacterial metabolic processes and membrane function.

If antibiotics’ efficiency is further diminished by nanoplastics, serious health issues may result. Since it causes tens of thousands of deaths annually, antibiotic resistance is already a major global concern. Common medical treatments for everything from simple infections to life-threatening illnesses may become less effective as a result of nanoplastics’ ability to accelerate resistance. The need to develop alternative treatments would put more demand on hospitals and healthcare systems around the world, which would probably increase healthcare prices and have an effect on patient outcomes.

References:
Leonard Dick, Patrick R. Batista, Paul Zaby, Gabriele Manhart, Verena Kopatz, Lukas Kogler, Verena Pichler, Florian Grebien, Vince Bakos, Benedek G. Plósz, Nikola Zlatkov Kolev, Lukas Kenner, Barbara Kirchner, Oldamur Hollóczki. The adsorption of drugs on nanoplastics has severe biological impact. Scientific Reports, 2024; 14 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-75785-4
Yan Xu, Houyu Li, Yinuo Ding, Dandan Zhang, Wei Liu, How nanoscale plastics facilitate the evolution of antibiotic resistance. Journal of Hazardous Materials, Volume 480, 2024, 136157, ISSN 0304-3894, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.136157.
Lai H, Liu X, Qu M. Nanoplastics and Human Health: Hazard Identification and Biointerface. Nanomaterials (Basel). 2022 Apr 11;12(8):1298. doi: 10.3390/nano12081298. PMID: 35458006; PMCID: PMC9026096.