Route-Specific Phytotoxicity: Foliar Polystyrene Nanoplastics Inhibit Rice Photosynthesis.

We examine the effects of polystyrene (PS) NPs at 5.4 ± 1.0 nm on rice (Oryza sativa L.) under two scenarios: a comparative 14-day hydroponic exposure (3.6-35.7 μg PS plant-1 d-1) of root vs foliar exposure and a 30-day soil-based foliar exposure (5.3-73.4 μg PS plant-1 d-1) from heading to maturity. PS NPs exhibit route-specific phytotoxicity: while only high-dose root exposure inhibits photosynthesis, foliar exposure causes sustained inhibition. Importantly, soil-based foliar exposure also inhibits photosynthesis without the PS NP translocation to grains. This foliar-specific inhibition correlates directly with PS accumulation in leaves and is mechanistically attributed to its colocalization with chloroplasts (Pearson's r = 0.592), as confirmed by confocal imaging in high-dose (35.7 μg PS plant-1 d-1) exposed leaf. The colocalization impairs both the light-dependent reactions and carbon fixation during photosynthesis, as evidenced by significant reductions in photosynthetic pigments (54.4-61.0%), Hill reaction activity (49.9-70.2%), ATP production (22.1-24.3%), net photosynthetic rate (84.5-89.0%), Rubisco activity (84.6-87.5%), stomatal conductance (47.9-69.5%), and transpiration rate (47.4-48.9%). Transcriptomic analysis identifies the genetic basis of this inhibition, showing significant downregulation of the core photosynthesis pathway and key genes for photosynthetic-antenna proteins, carbon fixation, and carotenoid/porphyrin metabolism. These findings provide mechanistic insights into PS NP-induced photosynthesis inhibition and underscore atmospheric NPs as an emerging threat to global food security.

• Publication year

  2026

• Venue

  Environmental Science and Technology

• Publication date

  2026-01-23

• Fields of study

  Medicine, Environmental Science

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1021/acs.est.5c15586PMID 41575806
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar, PubMed

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

• Hormesis as a Hidden Hand in Global Environmental Change?

  2025cited by this paper
• Absorption of microplastics by terrestrial plants and their ecological risk

  2025cited by this paper
• Methylmercury formation in water triggered by light-independent plastic weathering

  2025cited by this paper
• Structure, regulation and assembly of the photosynthetic electron transport chain

  2025cited by this paper
• Size Distribution of Micro-/Nanoplastic Particles and Their Chemical Speciation in the Atmosphere of Shanghai, China.

  2025cited by this paper
• Mechanisms of plant acclimation to multiple abiotic stresses

  2025cited by this paper
• Leaf absorption contributes to accumulation of microplastics in plants

  2025cited by this paper
• A global estimate of multiecosystem photosynthesis losses under microplastic pollution

  2025cited by this paper
• Ecotoxicity of plastic leachates on aquatic plants: Multi-factor multi-effect meta-analysis.

  2024cited by this paper
• Atmospheric Deposition of Microplastics in South Central Appalachia in the United States

  2024cited by this paper
• Impact of Pristine and Aged Tire Wear Particles on Ipomoea aquatica and Rhizospheric Microbial Communities: Insights from a Long-Term Exposure Study.

  2024cited by this paper
• Foliar implications of polystyrene nanoplastics on leafy vegetables and its ecological consequences.

  2024cited by this paper
• Genome-Wide Molecular Adaptation in Algal Primary Productivity Induced by Prolonged Exposure to Environmentally Realistic Concentration of Nanoplastics.

  2024cited by this paper
• Atmospheric microplastic input into wetlands: Spatiotemporal patterns, drivers, and unique ecological impacts.

  2024cited by this paper
• Foliar Exposure of Deuterium Stable Isotope-Labeled Nanoplastics to Lettuce: Quantitative Determination of Foliar Uptake, Transport, and Trophic Transfer in a Terrestrial Food Chain.

  2024cited by this paper
• Toxicity Mechanisms of Nanoplastics on Crop Growth, Interference of Phyllosphere Microbes, and Evidence for Foliar Penetration and Translocation.

  2023cited by this paper
• Effects of microplastics on the growth, photosynthetic efficiency and nutrient composition in freshwater algae Chlorella vulgaris Beij.

  2023cited by this paper
• Improving Plant Photosynthesis through Light-Harvesting Upconversion Nanoparticles.

  2022cited by this paper
• Polymer nanoparticles pass the plant interface

  2022cited by this paper
• A kaleidoscope of photosynthetic antenna proteins and their emerging roles

  2022cited by this paper
• Microplastics and nanoplastics in the marine-atmosphere environment

  2022cited by this paper
• Targeted Carbon Nanostructures for Chemical and Gene Delivery to Plant Chloroplasts.

  2022cited by this paper
• Threats to Terrestrial Plants from Emerging Nanoplastics.

  2022cited by this paper
• Cell Cycle Control of Nanoplastics Internalization in Phytoplankton.

  2021cited by this paper
• Foliar uptake and leaf-to-root translocation of nanoplastics with different coating charge in maize plants.

  2021cited by this paper
• Foliar-applied polystyrene nanoplastics (PSNPs) reduce the growth and nutritional quality of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.).

  2021cited by this paper
• Microplastic in terrestrial ecosystems

  2020cited by this paper
• Terrestrial plants as a potential temporary sink of atmospheric microplastics during transport.

  2020cited by this paper
• Plastic rain in protected areas of the United States

  2020cited by this paper
• An Overlooked Entry Pathway of Microplastics into Agricultural Soils from Application of Sludge-based Fertilizers.

  2020cited by this paper
• Atmospheric microplastics: A review on current status and perspectives

  2020cited by this paper
• Assessment of foliar dust particle retention and toxic metal accumulation ability of fifteen roadside tree species: Relationship and mechanism

  2020cited by this paper
• Nanoparticle Charge and Size Control Foliar Delivery Efficiency to Plant Cells and Organelles.

  2020cited by this paper
• Impact of polystyrene nanoplastics (PSNPs) on seed germination and seedling growth of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

  2019cited by this paper
• Synthesis of metal-doped nanoplastics and their utility to investigate fate and behavior in complex environmental systems

  2019cited by this paper
• Microplastic abundance, characteristics, and removal in wastewater treatment plants in a coastal city of China.

  2019cited by this paper
• Consistent transport of terrestrial microplastics to the ocean through atmosphere.

  2019cited by this paper
• Overexpressing OsFBN1 enhances plastoglobule formation, reduces grain-filling percent and jasmonate levels under heat stress in rice.

  2019cited by this paper
• Nanoparticle Size and Coating Chemistry Control Foliar Uptake Pathways, Translocation, and Leaf-to-Rhizosphere Transport in Wheat.

  2019cited by this paper
• Atmospheric transport and deposition of microplastics in a remote mountain catchment

  2019cited by this paper
• Widespread distribution of PET and PC microplastics in dust in urban China and their estimated human exposure.

  2019cited by this paper
• Reactive oxygen species, oxidative signaling and the regulation of photosynthesis

  2018cited by this paper
• Characteristic of microplastics in the atmospheric fallout from Dongguan city, China: preliminary research and first evidence

  2017cited by this paper
• Light Absorption and Energy Transfer in the Antenna Complexes of Photosynthetic Organisms.

  2017cited by this paper
• Anionic Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles Protect Plant Photosynthesis from Abiotic Stress by Scavenging Reactive Oxygen Species.

  2017cited by this paper
• Physical Adsorption of Charged Plastic Nanoparticles Affects Algal Photosynthesis

  2010cited by this paper

• No citing papers are available for this paper.