Toxicity effects of polystyrene nanoplastics and arsenite on Microcystis aeruginosa

Despite the increasing research on the fate of nanoplastics (NPs, <100 nm) in freshwater systems, little is known about the joint toxic effects of metal(loid)s and NPs modified with different functional groups on microalgae. Here, we explored the joint toxic effects of two types of polystyrene NPs [one modified with a sulfonic acid group (PSNPs-SO₃H), and one without this functional group (PSNPs)] and arsenic (As) on the microalgae Microcystis aeruginosa. The results highlighted that PSNPs-SO₃H showed a smaller hydrodynamic diameter and greater potential to adsorb positively charged ions than PSNPs, contributing to the more severe growth inhibition, while both of them produced oxidative stress. Metabolomics further revealed that the fatty acid metabolism of the microalgae was significantly up-regulated under both NPs exposure, while PSNPs-SO₃H down-regulated the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA cycle) of the microalgae. As uptake by algae was significantly reduced by 82.58 % and 59.65 % in the presence of 100 mg/L PSNPs and PSNPs-SO₃H, respectively. The independent action model showed that the joint toxicity of both NPs with As was assessed as antagonistic. In addition, PSNPs and PSNPs-SO₃H had dissimilar effects on the composition of the microalgae extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), resulting in different uptake and adsorption of As, thereby affecting the physiology and biochemistry of algae. Overall, our findings propose that the specific properties of NPs should be considered in future environmental risk assessments.