Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This study investigates the effects of polypropylene microplastics (PP-MPs) and copper (Cu), applied individually and in combination, on the growth (root and shoot length, fresh and dry biomass), peroxidase (POD) activity, and Cu accumulation of rice seedlings. A hydroponic experiment was conducted with four treatments: control (CK), PP, Cu, and PP+Cu. Exposure to PP-MPs slightly promoted seedling growth, whereas Cu markedly inhibited growth and induced chlorosis. Compared with Cu alone, co-exposure to PP-MPs and Cu (PP+Cu) partially improved shoot growth and alleviated Cu-induced suppression of shoot POD activity. In contrast, root POD activity showed the strongest reduction under PP+Cu (91.7% decrease), revealing a pronounced root-shoot divergence in antioxidant responses. Moreover, total Cu accumulation in seedlings increased by 12.3% in PP+Cu relative to Cu alone, implying that PP-MPs may influence Cu bioavailability and/or internal partitioning. However, Cu speciation and subcellular distribution were not quantified in this study and should be examined in future work. Overall, PP-MPs may simultaneously enhance Cu uptake while partially mitigating shoot-level toxicity, underscoring the complexity of microplastic-metal co-contamination in rice seedling systems.
Source: Nanomaterials
DOI: 10.3390/nano16030196
Authors: Ziwen Hao, Steven Xu, Siquan Huang, Lin Wang
Institution: Henan University
Language: English
Subfield: Pollution
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Zero hunger
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,896
Funder: Henan University
OpenAlex ID: W7127185072