Evidence of microplastics release from polythene and paper cups exposed to hot and cold: A case study on the compromised kinetics of catalase

Abstract

Microplastics (MPs) have become widespread in the modern world posing a hidden threat to the global environ-ment. However, growing accumulation and devastating impact of MPs on human health and the environment have received least attention. In the current investigation, for the first time MPs have been identified which are released from the daily usable materials like polythene bags (PB) and paper cups (PC) in response to hot and cold water exposure at different time intervals. The impact of these MPs has been assessed on the major antioxidant enzyme, bovine liver catalase (BLC). The binding of MPs caused conformational changes in BLC by decreasing the alpha-helical content, which results in reduction of the enzymatic activity. Kinetics study revealed nearly similar to 1.4-fold compromised catalytic efficiency of catalase in response to MPs. Nevertheless, hepatic catalase activity was also significantly decreased in presence of MPs. Further, materials like glass, porcelain, stainless steel, and high-grade plastics are discovered as greener alternatives to PB and PC.