The Inhibition of Microcystin Adsorption by Microplastics in the Presence of Algal Organic Matters

Abstract

Microplastics (MPs) could act as vectors of synthetic chemicals; however, their influence on the adsorption of chemicals of natural origin (for example, MC-LR and intracellular organic matter (IOM), which could be concomitantly released by toxic Microcystis in water) is less understood. Here, we explored the adsorption of MC-LR by polyethylene (PE), polystyrene (PS), and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). The results showed that the MPs could adsorb both MC-LR and IOM, with the adsorption capability uniformly following the order of PS, PE, and PMMA. However, in the presence of IOM, the adsorption of MC-LR by PE, PS, and PMMA was reduced by 22.3%, 22.7% and 5.4%, respectively. This is because the benzene structure and the specific surface area of PS facilitate the adsorption of MC-LR and IOM, while the formation of Π-Π bonds favor its interaction with IOM. Consequently, the competition for binding sites between MC-LR and IOM hindered MC-LR adsorption. The C=O in PMMA benefits its conjunction with hydroxyl and carboxyl in the IOM through hydrogen bonding; thus, the adsorption of MC-LR is also inhibited. These findings highlight that the adsorption of chemicals of natural origin by MPs is likely overestimated in the presence of metabolites from the same biota.

Exploring the Therapeutic Potential of PTPN Families in Lung and Digestive Cancers

“…Importantly, PTPNs affect tumor progression by dephosphorylating proteins in order to activate or inhibit potentially oncogenic pathways. 6 This creates a strong potential for PTPN families to be used as a prognosis marker and/or therapeutic target in treating lung and digestive tract cancers. Therefore, this literature review characterizes the importance of several PTPNs, PTPN 1,3,6,11,12,13, by summarizing their roles as a tumor promoter, tumor suppressor or both as well as exploring their molecular mechanisms in digestive and/or lung cancer [Figure 1].…”