摘要

微塑料（<5mm）经常在体外条件下进行研究，其中塑料已被隔离研究。然而，在自然环境中，微塑料容易形成附聚物，赋予颗粒具有与其原始对应物不同的性质。在这里，我们检查了外聚合物与聚苯乙烯纳米塑料和微塑料的相互作用。使用模拟的海面条件检查塑料附聚物的形成。流式细胞仪结合显微镜检查显示纳米和微塑料颗粒球体在海水中与粘液物质和相关的微生物群落形成聚集体。为了表征这种材料，差异染色方法显示它是组成中的糖蛋白。将增加浓度的海洋细菌糖蛋白EPS暴露于纳米或微塑料中揭示了这些类型的聚合物有助于塑料附聚物的形成和丰富。这项工作突出了EPS对塑料命运的重要性，未来的研究应该在评估塑料的影响时考虑到这一点。

Microplastics (<5 mm) have often been studied under in-vitro conditions where plastics have been investigated in isolation. However, in the natural environment microplastics readily form agglomerates conferring the particles with properties different to their pristine counterparts. Here, we examined the interaction of exopolymers with polystyrene nanoplastics and microplastics. Formation of plastic agglomerates was examined using simulated sea surface conditions. Flow cytometry coupled with microscopy revealed that nano- and microplastic particle spheres form agglomerates in seawater with a mucilagenous material and an associated microbial community. To characterise this material, differential staining methods revealed it to be glycoprotein in composition. Exposing increasing concentrations of a marine bacterial glycoprotein EPS to nano- or microplastics revealed that these types of polymers contribute to the formation and abundance of plastic agglomerates. This work highlights the importance of EPS on the fate of plastic and future research should take this into account when evaluating the impact of plastics.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29866555