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Fate of So-Called Biodegradable Polymers in Seawater and Freshwater.

ABSTRACT: The stability of polymers with C-C and stable C-heteroatom backbones against chemicals, hydrolysis, temperature, light, and microbes has challenged society with the problem of accumulation of plastic waste and its management worldwide. Given careless disposal of plastic waste, large amounts of plastic litter accumulate in the environment and disintegrate into microplastics. One of the questions frequently raised in the recent times is if so-called biodegradable polymers can substitute conventional polymers for several applications and help to tackle this challenge. The answer is not so simple as biodegradability is a certified property occurring only under certain environmental conditions and therefore requires systematic study. As a first step, this study focusses on comparative degradation studies of six polymers (five taken from the so-called biodegradable polyesters, including poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), polycaprolactone (PCL), polylactic acid (PLA), poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB), Ecoflex, and one well-known non-degradable polymer poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) in artificial seawater and freshwater under controlled conditions for 1 year. Only amorphous PLGA shows 100% degradation as determined by weight loss, change in molar mass with time, NMR, electron microscopy, and high-performance liquid chromatography. This is a step forward in understanding the degradability of polyesters required for the design of environmentally friendly novel polymers for future use.

SUBMITTER: Bagheri AR

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6607129 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Fate of So-Called Biodegradable Polymers in Seawater and Freshwater.

Bagheri Amir Reza AR Laforsch Christian C Greiner Andreas A Agarwal Seema S

Global challenges (Hoboken, NJ) 20170623 4

The stability of polymers with C-C and stable C-heteroatom backbones against chemicals, hydrolysis, temperature, light, and microbes has challenged society with the problem of accumulation of plastic waste and its management worldwide. Given careless disposal of plastic waste, large amounts of plastic litter accumulate in the environment and disintegrate into microplastics. One of the questions frequently raised in the recent times is if so-called biodegradable polymers can substitute convention ...[more]

PMID: 31565274

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Project description:The microorganisms living on plastics called "plastisphere" have been classically described as very abundant, highly diverse, and very specific when compared to the surrounding environments, but their potential ability to biodegrade various plastic types in natural conditions have been poorly investigated. Here, we follow the successive phases of biofilm development and maturation after long-term immersion in seawater (7 months) on conventional [fossil-based polyethylene (PE) and polystyrene (PS)] and biodegradable plastics [biobased polylactic acid (PLA) and polyhydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate (PHBV), or fossil-based polycaprolactone (PCL)], as well as on artificially aged or non-aged PE without or with prooxidant additives [oxobiodegradable (OXO)]. First, we confirmed that the classical primo-colonization and growth phases of the biofilms that occurred during the first 10 days of immersion in seawater were more or less independent of the plastic type. After only 1 month, we found congruent signs of biodegradation for some bio-based and also fossil-based materials. A continuous growth of the biofilm during the 7 months of observation (measured by epifluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry) was found on PHBV, PCL, and artificially aged OXO, together with a continuous increase in intracellular (3H-leucine incorporation) and extracellular activities (lipase, aminopeptidase, and β-glucosidase) as well as subsequent changes in biofilm diversity that became specific to each polymer type (16S rRNA metabarcoding). No sign of biodegradation was visible for PE, PS, and PLA under our experimental conditions. We also provide a list of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) potentially involved in the biodegradation of these polymers under natural seawater conditions, such as Pseudohongiella sp. and Marinobacter sp. on PCL, Marinicella litoralis and Celeribacter sp. on PHBV, or Myxococcales on artificially aged OXO. This study opens new routes for a deeper understanding of the polymers' biodegradability in seawaters, especially when considering an alternative to conventional fossil-based plastics.

Project description:PurposeDrug-eluting stents (DES) based on permanent polymeric coating matrices have been introduced to overcome the in stent restenosis associated with bare metal stents (BMS). A further step was the development of DES with biodegradable polymeric coatings to address the risk of thrombosis associated with first-generation DES. In this study we evaluate the biocompatibility of biodegradable polymer materials for their potential use as coating matrices for DES or as materials for fully bioabsorbable vascular stents.Materials and methodsFive different polymers, poly(L-lactide) PLLA, poly(D,L-lactide) PDLLA, poly(L-lactide-co-glycolide) P(LLA-co-GA), poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) P(DLLA-co-GA) and poly(L-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone), P(LLA-co-CL) were examined in vitro without and with surface modification. The surface modification of polymers was performed by means of wet-chemical (NaOH and ethylenediamine (EDA)) and plasma-chemical (O2 and NH3) processes. The biocompatibility studies were performed on three different cell types: immortalized mouse fibroblasts (cell line L929), human coronary artery endothelial cells (HCAEC) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). The biocompatibility was examined quantitatively using in vitro cytotoxicity assay. Cells were investigated immunocytochemically for expression of specific markers, and morphology was visualized using confocal laser scanning (CLSM) and scanning electron (SEM) microscopy. Additionally, polymer surfaces were examined for their thrombogenicity using an established hemocompatibility test.ResultsBoth endothelial cell types exhibited poor viability and adhesion on all five unmodified polymer surfaces. The biocompatibility of the polymers could be influenced positively by surface modifications. In particular, a reproducible effect was observed for NH3-plasma treatment, which enhanced the cell viability, adhesion and morphology on all five polymeric surfaces.ConclusionSurface modification of polymers can provide a useful approach to enhance their biocompatibility. For clinical application, attempts should be made to stabilize the plasma modification and use it for coupling of biomolecules to accelerate the re-endothelialization of stent surfaces in vivo.

Dataset Information

Fate of So-Called Biodegradable Polymers in Seawater and Freshwater.

Publications

Fate of So-Called Biodegradable Polymers in Seawater and Freshwater.

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