In a recent study, an international research team with major participation from MedUni Vienna investigated how nanoplastic particles deposited in the body affect the effectiveness of antibiotics. The study showed that plastic particles not only impair the effect of medications, but could also favor the development of bacteria resistant to antibiotics. The results of the study were recently published in the journal Scientific Reports.
To investigate whether and how nanoplastic particles in the body interact with antibiotics, the research team led by Lukas Kenner (MedUni Vienna), Barbara Kirchner (University of Bonn) and Oldamur Hollóczki (University of Debrecen) linked a common drug to a widely used medicine. types of plastic. The focus was on the broad-spectrum antibiotic tetracycline, which is used to treat many bacterial infections, such as those of the respiratory tract, skin or intestines. As for plastics, the choice fell on polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP) and polystyrene (PS), which are ubiquitous components in packaging materials, as well as nylon 6,6 (N66), which It is found in many textiles. such as clothing, carpets, sofa covers and curtains. Nanoplastics measure less than 0.001 millimeters and are considered especially harmful to humans and the environment due to their small size.
Using complex computer models, the team was able to show that nanoplastic particles can bind to tetracycline and therefore reduce the effectiveness of the antibiotic. “In the case of nylon, the bond was particularly strong,” emphasizes Lukas Kenner, pointing out a largely underestimated danger on the inside: “The load of micro- and nanoplastics there is approximately five times higher than on the outside. Nylon is one of the reasons for this: it is released from textiles and enters the body through breathing, for example.”
Danger of antibiotic resistance
As the results of the study show, the binding of tetracycline to nanoplastic particles can reduce the biological activity of the antibiotic. At the same time, binding to nanoplastics could cause the antibiotic to be transported to unwanted locations in the body, causing it to lose its target effect and possibly cause other undesirable effects. “Particularly worrying is our discovery that the local concentration of antibiotics on the surface of nanoplastic particles can increase,” Lukas Kenner reports on another detail of the study. This increase in concentration could lead to the development of bacteria resistant to antibiotics. Therefore, plastics such as nylon 6,6, but also polystyrene, which bind more strongly to tetracycline, could increase the risk of resistance. “At a time when antibiotic resistance is becoming a growing threat around the world, these types of interactions need to be taken into account,” says Kenner.
The study shows that exposure to nanoplastics not only poses a direct health risk, but can also indirectly influence the treatment of diseases. “If nanoplastics reduce the effectiveness of antibiotics, the dosage poses a big problem,” says Lukas Kenner with a view to future studies analyzing the influence of nanoplastics on other drugs.