Microplastics (MPs) can enter plants through the foliar
pathway
and are potential hazards to ecosystems and human health. However,
studies related to the molecular mechanisms underlying the impact
of foliar exposure to differently charged MPs to leafy vegetables
are limited. Because the surfaces of MPs in the environment are often
charged, we explored the uptake pathways, accumulation concentration
of MPs, physiological responses, and molecular mechanisms of lettuce
foliarly exposed to MPs carrying positive (MP+) and negative
charges (MP–). MPs largely accumulated in the lettuce
leaves, and stomatal uptake and cuticle entry could be the main pathways
for MPs to get inside lettuce leaves. More MP+ entered
lettuce leaves and induced physiological, transcriptomic, and metabolomic
changes, including a decrease in biomass and photosynthetic pigments,
an increase in reactive oxygen species and antioxidant activities,
a differential expression of genes, and a change of metabolite profiles.
In particular, MP+ caused the upregulation of circadian
rhythm-related genes, and this may play a major role in the greater
physiological toxicity of MP+ to lettuce, compared to MP–. These findings provide direct evidence that MPs can
enter plant leaves following foliar exposure and a molecular-scale
perspective on the response of leafy vegetables to differently charged
MPs.
The obtained results indicated that biodiesel produced from prion-contaminated fat was safe under the tested process conditions. However, it has to be pointed out that the results cannot be generalized because a different process control using other conditions may lead to different results and then has to be analysed independently. It is clear that the production of biodiesel from high risk material represents a more economic usage than the combustion of such material.
We have noticed that in our article published in the ESPR-March issue [Environ Sci Pollut Res 16(2):227−231 (2009)] the first name of the last author is wrong. "Andreas" Telscher has to be replaced by Markus Telscher.
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