Electrochemical properties of roots determine antibiotic adsorption on roots

Yuan Liu; Zhen Tao; Hailong Lu; Siyi Li; Chao Hu; Zhongyang Li

doi:10.3389/fpls.2023.930632

Electrochemical properties of roots determine antibiotic adsorption on roots

Front Plant Sci. 2023 Mar 27:14:930632. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2023.930632. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Yuan Liu¹, Zhen Tao¹, Hailong Lu², Siyi Li¹, Chao Hu¹, Zhongyang Li^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Farmland Irrigation, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Xinxiang, China.
² State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China.
³ National Research and Observation Station of Shangqiu Agro-ecology System, Shangqiu, China.

Abstract

The adsorption behaviors and transfer pathways of antibiotics in plant-soil system are greatly influenced by the electrochemical properties of both soil particles and plant roots. However, the effects of roots electrochemical properties on antibiotic adsorption are largely unknown. Here, the fresh soybean, maize, and wheat roots with different electrochemical properties were obtained from hydroponic cultivation, and the adsorption processes and mechanisms of doxycycline, tetracycline, sulfadiazine, and norfloxacin on roots under various environmental conditions were investigated. Results showed that the adsorption amount of antibiotics on roots increased with the initial concentration of antibiotics. The coexisting low-molecular weight organic acids and anions inhibited the antibiotic adsorption on roots. The soybean roots performed strong adsorption ability compared with the maize and wheat roots driven by the variations in root electrochemical properties. This study demonstrates the significance of electrochemical interactions between antibiotics and roots in plant-soil system and can contribute to the more accurate risk assessment and effective pollution control of antibiotics.

Keywords: CEC; adsorption; antibiotics; legume roots; zeta potential.

Grants and funding

This work was financed by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41701265), the Central Public-interest Scientific Institution Basal Research Fund (FIRI2022-04 and Y2022LM29), the Scientific and Technological Project of Henan Province (202102110215), the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2021YFD1700900), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51879268), and the Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Program (ASTIP) of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.