微纳颗粒态新污染物与生物大分子的结合作用及效应

Binding and its effects of micro/nano-particulate emerging contaminants with biomacromolecules

生物大分子分子量大、结构复杂,对生命体的生命活动有着不可或缺的作用.微纳米材料由于其优异的物理和化学性能,在许多领域得到了广泛应用.然而,在其大量生产、使用和频繁处理过程中,一些微纳颗粒态材料不可避免地流入环境,并与环境中的生物大分子发生交互作用,进而对生态安全和人群健康造成负面影响.近年来,微纳颗粒态污染物与生物大分子间的结合作用及效应已成为环境领域备受关注的一个研究热点,相关研究取得一些进展.微纳颗粒态污染物通过分子间疏水相互作用、静电力、π-π相互作用、氢键、范德华力等非共价键作用力与生物大分子发生结合.微纳颗粒态污染物的自身性质(如空间构型、形状、表面化学性质和电荷分布)以及不同环境因素(如离子强度、pH和缓冲液浓度等)均会对两者间的结合产生显著影响.有关结合效应的研究多集中于其对生物大分子构象、抗生素抗性基因(antibiotic resistance genes,ARGs)迁移的影响以及其对细胞和生命体的毒性效应.与微纳颗粒态污染物结合引起DNA与蛋白质分子构象变化,介导细胞性能改变,从而对细胞分化与增殖等过程产生影响.一些微纳颗粒态污染物与质粒结合促进了ARGs的迁移,但该促进作用受浓度调控,高浓度下微纳金属氧化物等部分微纳颗粒态污染物则会因为其自身团聚作用表现出对ARGs迁移的抑制效应.此外,其与胞内生物大分子的结合作用还表现出与长期或慢性疾病的相关性.未来应聚焦更多种类的微纳颗粒态污染物,拓展其与不同类型生物大分子间结合效应研究.

The rapid advancement of micro and nanotechnology over the past five decades has led to the development of diverse micro and nano-materials,widely utilized in various sectors such as agriculture,medicine,food,and textiles.By 2022,the global market size for these materials had surpassed 55 billion US dollars,with TiO2-NPs,SiO2-NPs,AgNPs,and ZnNPs being among the most widely employed nano-materials.However,the production and transportation of micro-and nano-products inevitably result in the release of particulate matter into the environment.Meanwhile,the decomposition of plastic debris into microand nano-plastics poses significant threats to ecological systems and human health.In recent years,micro-and nanoparticulate matter has been detected in global environmental media,with its environmental impact and synergistic effects with other pollutants garnering substantial attention and emerging as a focal point of current research.Biomacromolecules,including nucleic acids,proteins,and polysaccharides,are crucial bio-molecules that play a vital role in the biological processes of living entities.Pollutants frequently cause changes in the structure and function of biomacromolecules including DNA and proteins,which might result in possible health hazards.Therefore,it is essential to study the mechanisms and impacts of the interaction between contaminants and biomacromolecules in order to understand the potential health risks they provide.To elucidate the potential detrimental effects of micro-nano particulate pollutants on human health and their underlying mechanisms,as well as to develop effective prevention and control strategies,researchers have recently focused on the interaction between these pollutants and biomacromolecules.Significant progress has been made in this field,revealing that micro-and nanoparticulate pollutants bind to biomacromolecules through non-covalent interactions,including inter-molecular hydrophobic interactions,electrostatic interactions,π-πinteractions,hydrogen bonding,and van der Waals forces.The binding processes are significantly influenced by the pollutants’characteristic properties(such as spatial configuration,shape,surface chemistry,and surface charge distribution)and environmental factors(including ionic strength,pH,and buffer solution concentration).The binding of micro-and nano-particulate pollutants to biomacromolecules induces conformational changes in DNA and proteins,mediating alterations in cellular properties and affecting cell differentiation and proliferation.When certain micro-particles and nanoparticles bind to plasmids,the migration of antibiotic resistance genes(ARGs)is promoted,although this promotion is regulated by particle concentrations.At high concentrations,some micro-particles and nanoparticles,such as metal oxide nanoparticles,exhibit strong aggregation,consequently inhibiting ARG migration.Furthermore,the binding of intracellular biomacromolecules with micro-and nano-particulate pollutants has been associated with long-term or chronic diseases.This review comprehensively examines the binding effects of micro-and nano-particulate pollutants with biomacromolecules from the perspectives of“action”and“effects”.Despite these advancements,most relevant studies have primarily focused on the binding between micro-and nano-particulate pollutants and DNA and proteins,with limited attention given to their interactions with polysaccharide molecules.Future research should explore the interactions between micro-and nano-particulate pollutants and polysaccharides,as well as their underlying mechanisms.Additionally,studies on the molecular ecological effects of micro-and nano-particulate pollutants have primarily concentrated on a limited number of pollutants,such as micro-plastics,carbon-based nanoparticles,and metal-based and metaloxide nanoparticles.The binding effects have largely focused on the impact of bio-molecule interactions on the horizontal transfer of ARGs.Therefore,future investigations should encompass a broader range of micro-and nano-particulate pollutants and expand the scope of their binding effects with biomacromolecules.