Marine bacteria and fungi: the hidden treasure of oceans in the biodegradation of microplastics and hydrocarbons integrated with omics technologies

Abdulla MA, Castillo AB, Collins C, Sizmur T (2023) Ecological indicators and source diagnostic ratios of aliphatic and polyaromatic hydrocarbons in marine sediments of Qatar. Reg Stud Mar Sci 64:103042

Google Scholar 

Abraham WR, Meyer H, Yakimov M (1998) Novel glycine containing glucolipids from the alkane using bacterium Alcanivorax borkumensis. Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta (BBA)-Lipids and Lipid Metabolism 1393(1):57–62

Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Achudhan AB, Narayanan R, Madhavan T (2025) Genome-resolved metagenomics and genome-scale metabolic modelling of microbial communities from a plastic-polluted coastal hotspot. Reg Stud Mar Sci. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rsma.2025.104744

Article  Google Scholar 

Afify MG, Gomaa OM, El Kareem HA, Zeid MA (2025) Promoting bacterial colonization and biofilm formation for enhanced biodegradation of low-density polyethylene microplastics. Bioresourc Bioprocess 12(1):59

Article  Google Scholar 

Akinkpelumi VK, Onyena AP, Abdulai PM, Ossai CM, Frazzoli C, Orisakwe OE (2025) Seasonality and ecological risks of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons PAHS in environmental media and food crops of Ibaa, Niger Delta. Nigeria Environ Sci Eur 37(1):215

Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Al-Amrani S, Al-Jabri Z, Al-Zaabi A, Alshekaili J, Al-Khabori M (2021) Proteomics: concepts and applications in human medicine. World J Biol Chem 12(5):57

Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Alfaro-Núñez A, Astorga D, Cáceres-Farías L, Bastidas L, Soto Villegas C, Macay K, Christensen JH (2021) Microplastic pollution in seawater and marine organisms across the Tropical Eastern Pacific and Galápagos. Sci Rep 11(1):6424

Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Ali SS, Alsharbaty MHM, Al-Tohamy R, Schagerl M, Al-Zahrani M, Kornaros M, Sun J (2025) MPs as persistent and vectors of other threats in the marine environment: toxicological impacts, management and strategical roadmap to end plastic pollution. Environ Chem Ecotoxicol 7:229–251

Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Amaral-Zettler LA, Zettler ER, Mincer TJ (2020) Ecology of the plastisphere. Nat Rev Microbiol 18(3):139–151

Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Amran RH, Jamal MT, Pugazhendi A, Al-Harbi M, Ghandourah M, Al-Otaibi A, Haque MF (2022) Biodegradation and bioremediation of petroleum hydrocarbons in marine ecosystems by microorganisms: a review. Nat Environ Pollut Technol. https://doi.org/10.46488/nept.2022.v21i03.019

Article  Google Scholar 

Barbosa F Jr, Roch BA, Souza MC, Bocato MZ, Azevedo LF, Adeyemi JA et al (2023) Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs): updated aspects of their determination, kinetics in the human body, and toxicity. J Toxicol Environ Health Part B 26(1):28–65

Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Barnes DK, Galgani F, Thompson RC, Barlaz M (2009) Accumulation and fragmentation of plastic debris in global environments. Philos Trans R Soc B Biol Sci 364(1526):1985–1998

Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Berselli A, Menziani MC, Piccini G, Muniz-Miranda F (2025) Molecular-level mechanistic insights into PETase-catalyzed plastics hydrolysis from accurate QM/MM free energy calculations. ACS Catal 15(12):10702–10721

Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Betts K (2008) Why small plastic particles may pose a big problem in the oceans. Environ Sci Technol. https://doi.org/10.1021/es802970v

Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Bhagwat G, Tran TKA, Lamb D, Senathirajah K, Grainge I, O’Connor W et al (2021) Biofilms enhance the adsorption of toxic contaminants on plastic microfibers under environmentally relevant conditions. Environ Sci Technol 55(13):8877–8887

Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Boneta S, Arafet K, Moliner V (2021) QM/MM study of the enzymatic biodegradation mechanism of polyethylene terephthalate. J Chem Inf Model 61(6):3041–3051

Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Burgin T, Pollard BC, Knott BC, Mayes HB, Crowley MF, McGeehan JE, Beckham GT, Woodcock H (2024) The reaction mechanism of the Ideonella sakaiensis PETase enzyme. Commun Chemi 7(1):65

Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Cai Z, Li M, Zhu Z, Wang X, Huang Y, Li T, Gong H (2023) Yan M (2023) Biological degradation of plastics and microplastics: a recent perspective on associated mechanisms and influencing factors. Microorganisms 11:1661

Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Charalampous G, Fragkou E, Kormas KA, Menezes AB, Polymenakou PN, Pasadakis N, Kalogerakis N, Antoniou E, Gontikaki E (2021) Comparison of hydrocarbon-degrading consortia from surface and deep waters of the eastern Mediterranean Sea: characterization and degradation potential. Energies 14(8):2246

Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Chen Q, Li J, Liu M, Sun H, Bao M (2017) Study on the biodegradation of crude oil by free and immobilized bacterial consortium in marine environment. PLoS ONE 12(3):e0174445

Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Chen X, Zhuang J, Chen Q, Xu L, Yue X, Qiao D (2022b) Polyvinyl chloride MPs induced gut barrier dysfunction, microbiota dysbiosis and metabolism disorder in adult mice. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 241:113809

Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Chernikova TN, Bargiela R, Toshchakov SV, Shivaraman V, Lunev EA, Yakimov MM et al (2020) Hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria Alcanivorax and Marinobacter associated with microalgae Pavlova lutheri and Nannochloropsis oculata. Front Microbiol 11:572931

Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Choi J, Kim H, Ahn YR, Kim M, Yu S, Kim N et al (2024) Recent advances in microbial and enzymatic engineering for the biodegradation of micro-and nanoplastics. RSC Adv 14(14):9943–9966

Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Choonut A, Wongfaed N, Wongthong L, Poolpol A, Chaikitkaew S, Sittijunda S, Reungsang A (2025) Microbial degradation of polypropylene microplastics and concomitant polyhydroxybutyrate production: an integrated bioremediation approach with metagenomic insights. J Hazard Mater 490:137806

Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Chunyan X, Qaria MA, Qi X, Daochen Z (2023) The role of microorganisms in petroleum degradation: current development and prospects. Sci Total Environ 865:161112

Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Cui J, Dörmann P (2025) Microbial degradation of hydrocarbons from petroleum assisted by biosurfactants: pathways and bioremediation potential. Biochimie. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biochi.2025.09.011

Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Culqui C, Tineo D, Fernández-Jibaja J, Álvarez-Robledo YA, García L, Mendoza-Merino J et al (2026) Occurrence, sources, and ecological risk of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in rice field soils of northwestern Peru. J Agric Food Res. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jafr.2026.102726

Article  Google Scholar 

Dang H, Lovell CR (2016) Microbial surface colonization and biofilm development in marine environments. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 80(1):91–138

Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Danso D, Chow J, Streit WR (2019) Plastics: environmental and biotechnological perspectives on microbial degradation. Appl Environ Microbiol 85(19):e01095-19

Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Davidov K, Marsay KS, Itzahri S, Rubin-Blum M, Sobral P, Kranzler CF, Oren M (2024) Community composition and seasonal dynamics of microplastic biota in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Sci Rep 14(1):26131

Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Davidov K, Itzahri S, Kartha A, Orr G, Lang Z, Navon‐Venezia S, Oren M (2025) Rapid colonisation of plastic surfaces by marine Alcanivorax bacteria is flagellum‐dependent and influenced by polymer type and photo‐weathering state. Environ Microbiol 27(5):e70102

Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

De Falco F, Di Pace E, Cocca M, Avella M (2019) The contribution of washing processes of synthetic clothes to microplastic pollution. Sci Rep 9(1):6633

Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Comments (0)

No login
gif