Fig. 1
From: Distinct lipid membrane interaction and uptake of differentially charged nanoplastics in bacteria
PS nanoplastics characterization and effects of the nanoplastics on the viability of bacteria. a SEM images of neutral PS, positively charged PS (PS-NH2), and negatively charged PS (PS-COOH) with the average size of 80 nm. Scale bars, 1 μm. b Size distribution of the PS, PS-NH2, and PS-COOH as assessed using DLS in deionized water. c Stability of differentially charged PS nanoplastics in deionized water, TGY or LB medium. d Survive fractions of bacteria exposed to differently charged PS nanoplastics for 3 h compared with PS microplastics (200 nm or 2 μm in size). EC, E. coli; BS, B. subtilis; DR, D. radiodurans. P < 0.005; ***, significant difference (student’s t-test). e Growth curves of bacteria exposed to 80 nm PS-NH2 at different concentrations (20, 100, 200 µg/ml). Bacterial concentrations expressed as log10 (CFU/mL) of viable cells were measured at different growth times. Arrows indicate the drop in growth curves