Nitrogen is an essential plant nutrient that also shapes soil properties and microbial communities, but its interactions with residual organic pollutants remain poorly resolved. In a 15-year field experiment, we evaluated four nitrogen (N) fertilization rates and collected surface soil (0-20 cm) to determine their effects on soil physicochemical properties, microbial community structure, exploratory co-occurrence networks, metagenomic functional profiles, and residual polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Relative to the control (CK), total N and Ca concentrations in the high-N treatment (N3) were 2.25 and 1.38 times higher, respectively. N addition was associated with differences in exploratory microbial network topology: in N3, average degree increased by 15% for bacteria and 31% for fungi, whereas in the low-N treatment (N1), modularity decreased by 12% and 30%, respectively. High N also showed a higher relative representation of genes assigned to carbon metabolism and changes in the relative abundance of genes in the PAH-degradation pathway (ko00624). Mantel tests indicated treatment-dependent associations between microbial community composition and residual PAH profiles, particularly under low N. Overall, long-term N fertilization was associated with shifts in soil microbial communities and their functional potential related to carbon, nitrogen, and PAH metabolism. These association-based results do not demonstrate pathway activity, PAH degradation rates, or environmental risk; direct process-rate and bioavailability measurements would be required for those inferences. These findings support site-specific N management that accounts for both crop nutrient demand and the persistence of legacy organic contaminants.
Nanoplastics behave as colloids: their environmental fate depends less on polymer identity than on the chemistry and structure of the medium through which they move. The evidence for this is scattered across studies that vary one factor at a time and rarely connect aquatic and terrestrial compartments. We address that fragmentation with an evidence-to-prediction platform built in three steps. A structured evidence synthesis first harmonised 346 study-condition cases from 36 DOI-tracked primary studies spanning aggregation, deposition, porous-media transport, and biologically mediated redistribution. Six classifiers were then benchmarked under cross-validation grouped by study, so that no publication contributed cases to both training and validation folds; the best model reached a cross-validated receiver operating characteristic area under the curve (ROC AUC) of 0.950 (95% confidence interval 0.934–0.965), an F1 score of 0.889, and a Brier score of 0.089, performing equally well in aquatic (n = 235) and soil (n = 111) subsets. The model was finally made deployable through probability calibration, SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) attribution, conformal prediction sets, and retrieval of the evidence cases underlying each prediction. The central result is that the learned control hierarchy reproduces classical colloid theory from data alone: electrolyte concentration and cation valence dominate, followed by natural organic matter (NOM) regime, weathering state, eco-corona composition, and biological activity. This convergence supports a single reactivity–accessibility reading of nanoplastic fate, in which chemical attachment propensity and physical pathway availability jointly decide whether a particle travels or is retained, in water and in soil alike.
The Lima River basin, located in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula and influenced by intensive agricultural activity, lacks recent information regarding pesticide occurrence, environmental partitioning, and associated ecological risks. This study investigated the occurrence, distribution, partitioning behaviour, and ecological risks of 56 pesticides in the Lima River through the integrated analysis of dissolved aqueous phase (DAP) and suspended particulate matter (SPM), combined with mixture-based ecological risk assessment and ecotoxicological bioassays.Pesticides were frequently detected in both matrices, with detection frequencies ranging from 59.38–65.63% in DAP and from 78.67–94.79% in SPM, depending on pesticide class. Total insecticide concentrations ranged from 172.25–221.72 ng L-1 in DAP and from 35.72–58.40 μg kg-1 in SPM, depending on the season. Multivariate analyses revealed clear seasonal patterns, with higher pesticide occurrence in the DAP during spring and summer, whereas the SPM preferentially accumulated more hydrophobic and persistent compounds during autumn and winter.Risk assessment identified aquatic invertebrates as the most sensitive trophic group, with insecticides being the main contributors to mixture toxicity. A limited number of insecticides, including dichlorvos, cyfluthrin, and azinphos-methyl, accounted for a substantial proportion of the predicted ecological risk.Overall, the results indicate that pesticide-related ecological risk in the Lima River is strongly influenced by seasonal variability, phase partitioning, and mixture-driven toxicity, highlighting the importance of integrated multi-matrix approaches for environmental monitoring and river basin management.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are highly persistent chemicals widely used in industrial processes and associated with extensive environmental contamination. Due to their bioaccumulative properties, PFAS exposure has been linked to adverse health effects, and some compounds have been classified as carcinogenic or possibly carcinogenic to humans. Some groups of workers are considered at risk, and particularly firefighters are considered a potentially high-risk occupational group because of repeated exposure to hazardous substances, such as PFAS. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate PFAS exposure among firefighters operating in central and northern Italy by measuring plasma concentrations of PFAS and investigating anamnestic determinants. A total of 378 firefighters were voluntarily recruited and completed an anamnestic questionnaire. Plasma samples were analyzed using validated liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) for 24 PFAS congeners from the EPA 533 list. Of the 24 PFAS investigated, 12 were detected in the analyzed samples: PFBA, PFHxS, PFOA, PFOS, PFDA, PFUnA, PFNA, PFHpS, PFHpA, 6:2 FTS, PFPeA, and 9Cl-PF3ONS. The mean summed concentration of the detected PFAS was 7.26 ng/mL (SD = 4.58 ng/mL). PFOS and PFOA were the predominant compounds, with mean concentrations of 4.34 ng/mL and 1.27 ng/mL, respectively. In primary analyses, significant differences emerged according to different headquarters, age, sex, fish and seafood consumption, use of waterproof clothing outside the workplace, qualification, years of service, and type of service. In age- and sex-adjusted sensitivity analyses, the association with different headquarters remained significant, and fish and seafood consumption, type of service, and qualification also remained associated with total PFAS levels, whereas the associations with years of service and use of waterproof clothing outside the workplace were attenuated. No significant associations emerged in the primary analysis for BMI, smoking habits, living environment, or organic food consumption.
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remain the leading cause of global mortality, with growing evidence suggesting that exposure to environmental contaminants, such as bisphenol compounds, may serve as a potential risk factor. While the relationship between bisphenol A (BPA) and cardiovascular health has been investigated, a comprehensive epidemiological synthesis encompassing its numerous substitutes is lacking. This review provides a narrative synthesis of current epidemiological evidence on the associations of exposure to BPA and its analogues with clinical CVD events and major cardiometabolic risk factors. Available evidence generally supports associations between bisphenol exposure and clinical cardiovascular disease, particularly coronary artery disease, although evidence for other cardiovascular events remains limited. Bisphenol exposure has also been associated with cardiometabolic outcomes, including hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, obesity, and hyperuricemia. Overall, the available evidence suggests potential cardiovascular concerns associated with bisphenol exposure, while substantial uncertainties remain regarding temporality and causality. Epidemiological evidence for emerging bisphenol substitutes remains scarce, underscoring the need for broader research on exposure to bisphenol compounds and their cardiovascular effects, particularly through prospective and experimental studies.
The recycling of livestock manure in agriculture, while beneficial for nutrients, poses a poorly quantified threat of disseminating antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) into soils. Here, we performed a meta-analysis of 1,153 paired observations to assess how manure types and management practices regulate these environmental risks across China. Results showed that manure application significantly enriched both antibiotic residues and ARG abundance in soils, with poultry manure presenting greater risks than swine or cattle manure, and untreated manure imposing higher burdens than treated inputs. Antibiotic residues and ARG abundance also increased with application intensity and duration, indicating the importance of sustained inputs and long-term management. Soil properties further modulated these responses: acidic soils showed stronger antibiotic accumulation and RQ-based ecological risk, whereas alkaline and high-SOM soils were more closely associated with ARG enrichment. These patterns suggest that manure-derived risks are shaped by the coupling of contaminant loading, soil retention processes and microbially mediated resistance selection. Among antibiotic classes, tetracyclines, fluoroquinolones and sulfonamides showed stronger enrichment, with corresponding increases observed in sulfonamide and tetracycline resistance genes. Overall, this study identifies management- and soil-dependent risk scenarios, providing a quantitative basis for targeted mitigation strategies in sustainable agriculture.
Nickel oxide nanoparticles (NiO-NPs) could impact the behavior of contaminants in the environment and affect nutrient uptake and growth of plants. In this work, we have studied the effects and mechanisms of NiO-NPs on the accumulation of atrazine by soybeans. The results revealed that NiO-NPs inhibited the uptake of ATZ in soybeans. The effects of NiO-NPs on ATZ accumulation and soybean stress responses were concentration dependent. At 5 and 50 mg/kg, NiO-NPs decreased ATZ accumulation and alleviated ATZ-induced oxidative stress in soybean, whereas at 100 mg/kg, they increased ATZ accumulation and aggravated oxidative stress. Metabolomic profiling revealed treatment-associated changes in soybean root metabolic profiles. Metagenomic analysis showed that co-exposure altered rhizosphere microbial community composition and reduced alpha diversity. Compared with ATZ alone, the 50 mg/kg NiO-NPs + ATZ treatment was associated with higher relative abundances of Nitrospirales and selected nitrogen-cycling genes; however, these shifts indicate changes in community composition and functional potential rather than direct evidence of enhanced nitrogen-cycling activity. Our findings demonstrate that NiO-NPs exerted concentration-dependent effects on ATZ accumulation and stress responses in soybean, highlighting the importance of dose when evaluating their interactions with herbicides in plant–soil systems.
Microplastics (MPs) are increasingly detected in wetland soils, yet their potential impacts on soil carbon cycling and the role of plants in modulating these effects remain poorly understood. Here, we evaluated the effects of polypropylene (PP) MPs (0.01 – 0.1 wt%) on soil carbon mineralization in wetland soils, and examined how these responses differed in the presence and absence of reeds (Phragmites australis). We found that PP MPs significantly enhanced soil carbon mineralization, with more pronounced CO2 release observed in planted soils than in unplanted soils, indicating that plant presence altered soil carbon mineralization responses to MPs. Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry revealed that MPs simplified dissolved organic matter (DOM) composition and increased the proportion of oxidized and bioavailable DOM, particularly in planted soils. These changes were accompanied by significant shifts in microbial community structure and metabolic traits, promoting microbial respiration. Functional gene analyses further showed enhanced abundance of genes associated with key carbon fixation pathways, including the reductive tricarboxylic acid cycle and the reductive acetyl-CoA pathway, indicating intensified microbial carbon processing. These findings highlight the importance of plant-mediated rhizosphere processes in modulating the effects of MPs on soil carbon dynamics and provide empirical insights into the mechanisms underlying MPs impacts on wetland biogeochemical processes.
Benzophenones (BPs) are widely used as ultraviolet filters and are well recognized to possess endocrine-disrupting properties. However, their effects on lipid metabolism remain poorly understood. In this study, we integrated in vitro experiments, network toxicology, molecular docking, and the Adverse Outcome Pathway (AOP) framework to systematically elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying BPs-induced lipid metabolic toxicity. We demonstrated that BPs induced concentration-dependent cytotoxicity and significant lipid accumulation in HepG2 cells, among which BP-6 and BP-8 exhibited the highest potency. Through target prediction and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis, we identified 73 potential targets for eight BPs (BP-1, BP-2, BP-3, BP-4, BP-6, BP-7, BP-8, and BP-12), and subsequently screened nine hub genes. These hub genes form a multi-target regulatory network involved in xenobiotic metabolism, inflammatory signaling, and nuclear receptor regulation. Molecular docking confirmed stable binding interactions between BPs and these hub proteins, with binding energies ranging from −9.1 to −5.1 kcal/mol. Functional enrichment analyses further indicated that these hub genes are primarily associated with arachidonic acid metabolism, inflammatory pathways, and cytochrome P450-mediated metabolism. By mapping these findings onto the AOP framework, we constructed a mechanistic model linking BP exposure to hepatic steatosis, which involves the coordinated disruption of nuclear receptor signaling, metabolic enzyme networks, inflammatory cascades, and transporter function. Collectively, this study provides a comprehensive mechanistic basis for BPs-induced lipid metabolic toxicity and supports a paradigm shift toward mechanism-based risk assessment for these ubiquitous environmental contaminants.
Fluorochemical production (FCP) sites are key hotspots for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), persistently contaminating nearby soils. Most studies on FCP-impacted environments have relied on targeted analyses, which may overlook emerging and unknown PFAS, such as precursors that can transform into stable products. To address this gap, an integrated analytical workflow combining the direct total oxidizable precursor (dTOP) assay with high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS)-based suspect and non-target screening (SS/NTS) was performed on PFAS-contaminated soils collected at and near an FCP site in Flanders, Belgium. The dTOP assay conditions was optimized through Design of Experiment, which identified relative quantities of sodium hydroxide and potassium persulfate as significant factors (p < 0.01), along with temperature and reaction time, applicable in both moderately and highly contaminated soils (oxidation efficiency > 99.3%). SS/NTS of post-dTOP samples also showed efficient oxidation of emerging PFAS classes (e.g., 95% oxidation of pentafluorosulfide perfluoroalkyl sulfonic acid), but also revealed increases in emerging non-target PFAS (NT-PFAS), which are oxidation products of other precursors. This study enabled the examination of the behavior of several NT-PFAS and the estimation of PFAS precursors.
With the ongoing growth of the electronics industry, China has emerged as the global epicenter for electronics manufacturing. However, the key manufacturing processes such as etching, acid cleaning, copper chemical milling, and chemical vapor deposition, which produce large amount of fluoride wastewater, posing considerable environmental contamination risks. This review systematically investigates the current framework of China's policies and standards governing system the fluoride wastewater remediation. It further evaluates recent advancements in the remediation of high-concentration fluoride wastewater, low-concentration fluoride wastewater, and fluoride sludge. Findings indicate that calcium salt precipitation combined with coagulation processes is effective for the treatment of high-concentration fluoride wastewater, whereas low-concentration fluoride wastewater remediation requires an integration of organic adsorption, flocculation, and precipitation technologies. Meanwhile, the study emphasizes that the future research and development efforts should focus on the novel material innovation, the zero wastewater discharge strategies, and the resource recovery from fluoridated wastewater and sludge, making these as critical directions for advancing fluoride wastewater management.
Antibiotic fermentation residues (AFRs) represent a complex source of emerging contaminants, yet their molecular composition remains poorly characterized, hindering evidence-based risk assessment. Here, we employed dual-mode electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (ESI-FT-ICR-MS) combined with suspect screening and paired mass distance (PMD) network analysis to systematically characterize molecular inventories and their chemical relationships in penicillin G (PFRs), cephalosporin C (CFRs), and erythromycin (EFRs) fermentation residues. Molecular formula assignment yielded 2162 (PFRs), 990 (CFRs), and 1674 (EFRs) molecules, with putatively annotated 71 penicillin-related, 4 cephalosporin-related, and 51 macrolide compounds, respectively. Dual-mode analysis apparent ionization selectivity, with EFRs showing 12-fold higher formula counts in ESI(−) mode. Key high-intensity compounds included ring-opened β-lactam hydrolysis products in PFRs, biosynthetic intermediates in CFRs, and acid-catalyzed dehydration products in EFRs. PMD network analysis differentiated biosynthetic/transformation paths: PFRs were dominated by redox reactions (56.3%) and hydration/dehydration (30.4%); CFRs by methylation/demethylation and redox reactions (70.6%); and EFRs by methylation/demethylation combined with redox reactions (88.1%). Critically, while PFRs consisted largely of deactivated hydrolysis products, CFRs and EFRs contained high levels of bioactive intermediates and derivatives that retain their core pharmacophores. This study provides a molecular baseline for prioritizing high-risk compounds and guiding sustainable pharmaceutical waste management.
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are emerging pollutants widely detected in water environments, raising concerns due to their interference with hormonal systems and potential ecological and public health risks. This study compiled over 500 records from nearly 200 studies and mapped the spatial distribution of nine typical EDCs at the prefecture-city level across China. Ecological risk assessment based on risk quotient (RQ) values for 17 major cities in the Yangtze River Basin revealed that Chengdu, Yichang, and Shanghai ranked highest in exposure risk, largely driven by DEHP and OP. To explore potential drivers, this study conducted univariate regression analyses between eight EDCs and over 200 socioeconomic indicators. Results revealed pollutant-specific relationships: BPA concentrations were positively associated with industrial employment and wastewater discharge; E1 correlated with heavy industrial metrics, which likely served as proxies for urbanization; NP and OP were correlated with tertiary and secondary industry development, respectively. In contrast, PFOA showed weak associations with all indicators, suggesting diffuse or unmonitored sources. Further Mantel tests using aggregated socioeconomic categories confirmed that industrial activity and population-related factors significantly influenced the spatial patterns of phthalates and alkylphenols. Collectively, these findings highlighted the differentiated socioeconomic influence on EDC contamination in China, offering empirical evidence to support targeted pollution control and sustainable water management policies.
Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent environmental pollutants linked to adverse human health effects. Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic (CKM) syndrome delineates the complex interaction among metabolic risk determinants, chronic renal impairment, and cardiovascular pathology. This study, for the first time, examined associations between four representative PFAS, namely perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), and CKM syndrome staging, including sex-specific differences. Data from 7014 participants were analyzed using logistic regression to assess correlations between PFAS exposure and health risks, revealing positive associations between PFOS, PFOA, and impaired renal function. Generalized additive models were applied to estimate blood concentration risk reference values for the health risks of these PFAS. The weighted quantile sum mixture exposure model indicated sex-based differences, with males experiencing an 18% higher risk than females. PFOS exposure had a stronger impact on males, whereas PFHxS exposure had a stronger impact on females. These findings provide evidence for establishing the safety risk reference values for serum PFAS.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are a class of highly persistent synthetic chemicals that have raised significant environmental and health concerns due to their stability and bioaccumulation potential. 6:2 chlorinated polyfluoroalkyl ether sulfonic acid (6:2 Cl-PFESA), a novel alternative to traditional PFASs like perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), has been increasingly used in various industries. However, its neurotoxic effects remain poorly understood. In this study, we compared the neurotoxic impacts of 6:2 Cl-PFESA with those of PFOS and PFOA in PC12 cells. Our findings revealed that while all three PFASs induced dose-dependent neurotoxicity, 6:2 Cl-PFESA exhibited the most potent effects, causing significantly greater reductions in cell viability and higher rates of apoptosis. Lipidomic analysis further demonstrated that high-dose exposure (100 μM) to all three chemicals profoundly altered lipid profiles, perturbing broad neurotoxicity-related networks including phosphoinositide (PI) metabolism, MAPK, and BDNF-TrkB signaling. Crucially, 6:2 Cl-PFESA uniquely induced lipidomic disruptions even at a low dose (0.025μM) reflecting human exposure levels, specifically triggering pathways such as phospholipid biosynthesis and ferroptosis. Our study underscores the urgent need to evaluate the neurotoxic risks of emerging PFAS alternatives, especially considering their widespread environmental distribution and potential to covertly impair neuronal signaling pathways.
The persistence of tris(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TCPP) in aquatic environments makes it essential to clarify its behavior and fate in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). This study systematically investigated the removal mechanisms, degradation pathways, and toxicity evolution of TCPP under anoxic and aerobic conditions in WWTP-derived activated sludge. Results showed that aerobic sludge exhibited higher removal efficiency (67.3%) than anoxic sludge (58.5%), which was confirmed in laboratory tests. While adsorption mediated the initial rapid removal, biodegradation was the dominant long-term removal mechanism, contributing up to 69.7% (anoxic) and 92.4% (aerobic) to overall elimination. Furthermore, characterization of dissolved organic matter showed stronger soluble microbial product-like fluorescence and altered protein-like signals under aerobic conditions, consistent with the higher TCPP biodegradation observed in the aerobic system. Three transformation products were tentatively identified, which elucidate two distinct degradation pathways: hydrolysis (O-dealkylation) under both conditions and a ketonization pathway exclusively in the aerobic process. Toxicity prediction revealed that all TPs were substantially less toxic than TCPP, suggesting that activated sludge-mediated biodegradation is an effective detoxification process. These findings offer critical insights for optimizing wastewater treatment strategies to mitigate the environmental risks of persistent organic pollutants.
Background Previous studies have reported the effects of individual emerging contaminant (EC) exposure on body mass index (BMI) z-scores in childhood, whereas their combined effects under real-world exposure scenarios and potential sex-specific differences remain unclear. Objective To investigate the potential sex-specific associations between co-exposure to multiple ECs and BMI z-scores in preschool children. Methods We quantified urinary concentrations of 75 ECs in 511 preschool children recruited from Bao'an District, Shenzhen, South China, and measured their height and weight to calculate BMI z-scores. All analyses were restricted to ECs with detection frequencies >80%. Multivariable regression was performed, and elastic net regression was used to screen ECs for mixture exposure analysis, which was then conducted using Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) and quantile g-computation (QGC). Sex-stratified analyses and statistical interactions were conducted to assess potential sex-specific associations. Results Of the 36 ECs with detection frequencies >80%, we observed significant associations of bisphenol E (BPE), bisphenol AF (BPAF), triclosan (TCS), benzophenone-2 (BP-2), and 2,6-di-tert-butyl-1,4-benzoquinone (BHT-Q) with elevated BMI z-scores in all children. Sex-stratified analyses showed consistently positive associations of BPE and TCS with BMI z-scores in boys but not significant in girls, with a significant interaction between BPE and sex (pinteraction = 0.007). The bisphenol F (BPF), BPAF, tetrachlorobisphenol A (TCBPA), and BP-2 were selected for subsequent mixture analyses by elastic net regression. Positive associations were observed between the mixture of these four ECs and BMI z-scores in all children or boys. Consistently, significantly positive relationship were observed in the QGC model for the overall population (β = 0.190, 95% CI: 0.041–0.340), with TCBPA showing the greatest positive contribution (weight = 0.492), and for boys (β = 0.247, 95% CI: 0.053–0.441), with BPF contributed most (weight = 0.451). Conclusion These findings indicate that combined exposure to BPF, BPAF, TCBPA, and BP-2 mixture contributed to elevated BMI z-scores in preschool children, primarily driven by TCBPA, and boys appear to be more susceptible, with BPF as the primary contributor.
Urban stormwater runoff is a critical pathway for microplastics (MPs) to enter marine ecosystems, posing a significant threat. However, systematic studies on spatiotemporal patterns, loads, and risks of MPs in stormwater systems, particularly in subtropical coastal cities, remain limited. This study characterized MPs in Macao's stormwater drains across seasons, using density separation, H2O2 digestion, stereomicroscopy, and μ-FTIR analysis to investigate their abundance and distribution. MPs were ubiquitous across all sample sites, with abundance ranging from 0.86 to 53.03 n/L. Irregular shaped fragments (56.78 ± 0.13.80%) and the color black (38.44 ± 7.47%) were dominant, and the most common polymers were Polyethylene terephthalate (39.55 ± 16.63%), polypropylene (23.05 ± 18.15%), and polyethylene (9.52 ± 8.87%). While abundance of MPs was higher in the wet season, no significant seasonal variation was found. MP characteristics varied significantly with land use. The concentration range of MPs was estimated to be from 2.86 ± 0.38 to 3145.94 ± 766.74 μg/L, with an overall mean of 454.68 ± 572.20 μg/L through the mass concentration models. The daily MP emission load into the receiving water was estimated to range from 8.29 × 103 to 3.09 × 108 particles per day or 2.66 to 10,365.23 g/day. MP risk was high (Polymer Hazard Index/Potential Ecological Risk Index: III/V) due to hazardous polymers, with spatiotemporal variations further observed from fluctuating water flow erosion. Correlation analysis revealed that MP abundance showed a significant negative correlation with dissolved oxygen and a positive correlation with antecedent rainfall. These findings identify stormwater drains as a key MP conduit, influenced by rainfall and land use, calling for targeted management in urban coastal areas.
Remediation of environment, contaminated with organic pollutants including herbicides and petroleum hydrocarbons, is of economic and health significance. Different methods have been used for remediation of soil pollutants including the biological ones as the most promising. There has been substantial progress on the use of plants and soil microbes for bioremediation. There are different approaches of bioremediation such as rhizoremediation, as well as the new ones including metagenomics, and CRISPR and machine leaning techniques on the interactive effects of soil microbes including plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and host plant. So, the present review has been presented consulting more than 200 recent articles from google scholar, ISI web of Science, and Scopus to investigate some of the most recent in microbial bioremediation of herbicides and petroleum hydrocarbons. The related subjects including the plants, the bioremediation techniques, bacterial strains, the related genes and enzymes have been reviewed. Since stressful parameters including contamination decrease plant growth and physiological capabilities, its association with PGPR and other soil degrading bacteria may significantly enhance their bioremediation potential. The comparative advantages and the limitations and the strategies, which may improve the efficiency of bioremediation have been presented. Due to the persistent molecular structure of petroleum hydrocarbons, research has indicated the more effective bioremediation of herbicides by bacteria and the host plant. This review may be suitable for the development of the bacterial strains and plant species, which are of higher efficiency for bioremediation of organic pollutants. The new directions for future research have alos been presented.
The widespread occurrence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in non-clinical settings have become increasingly recognized, particularly in aquatic environments, where they can persist and disseminate. Manila Bay, a key natural harbor in the Philippines, is a heavily urbanized coastal environment receiving domestic, industrial, riverine, and port-associated inputs. The study investigated the taxonomic and functional profiles, and antibiotic resistome of bacterial communities in the bay. Moreover, the occurrence and abundance of clinically-relevant ARGs such as ESBL resistance genes were also assessed in the study. DNA extracts from port water samples underwent shotgun metagenomic sequencing. Bioinformatic analysis was performed using MetaPhlAn 4 and HUMAnN 3 for taxonomic and functional profiling, respectively. ARGs were identified and characterized by mapping quality reads to the MEGAREs 3.0 database. Clinically-relevant ARGs such as blaCTX-M, blaSHV, & blaTEM were specifically detected and quantified using qPCR, with gene copy numbers normalized to 16S rDNA. The results showed taxonomic diverse bacterial communities dominated by Bacteroidota, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria, with predominant genera associated with gut microbiomes such as Bacteroides, Palleniella, Paramuribaculum, Duncaniella, Phocaeicola, Helicobacter, and Lactobacillus. Functional profiling revealed prevailing gene functions and metabolic pathways related to core metabolism, genetic information processing, and cellular maintenance, reflecting the adaptation of bacterial communities to the polluted conditions of the bay. Antibiotic resistome profiles showed resistance traits against tetracycline, macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin (MLS), and aminoglycosides being the most abundant. Furthermore, the occurrence of ESBL genes were detected across the sampling sites, with quantified abundance ranging from 10−5 to 10−3 gene copies/16S rDNA gene copy (71 to 2,156 gene copies/ml). The findings provide preliminary baseline data and insights into the taxonomic, functional, and antibiotic resistome profiles of bacterial communities in Manila Bay. The occurrence of ESBL genes suggests the bay as a potential hotspot for clinical ARGs, highlighting the need to integrate environmental monitoring and strategies in addressing antibiotic resistance.
