This article systematically reviews the mechanisms by which plants contribute to antibiotic pollution remediation, including direct absorption, degradation, and synergistic degradation through rhizosphere microorganisms. It also explores the application potential and limitations of phytoremediation systems in water and soil remediation, and looks ahead to future improvements through genetic engineering and microbiome optimization.
Literature Overview
This article, 'Green Solutions to a Growing Problem: Harnessing Plants for Antibiotic Removal from the Environment', published in the journal 'Antibiotics', reviews and summarizes the mechanisms of antibiotic remediation by plants and their rhizosphere microbial communities. It analyzes the main pathways of phytoremediation for antibiotic pollution, including plant absorption, intracellular degradation, rhizosphere microbial degradation, and rhizosphere stabilization. The article also discusses the performance of different plants such as duckweed, water hyacinth, Indian mustard, and corn in antibiotic remediation. Additionally, it emphasizes the critical role of rhizosphere microorganisms in antibiotic degradation and proposes future possibilities for improving phytoremediation systems through genetic engineering, microbiome optimization, and smart monitoring technologies.
Background Knowledge
Antibiotic pollution has become a global environmental concern, as its residues not only affect ecosystem balance but also promote the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), further exacerbating the proliferation of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Conventional wastewater treatment technologies face challenges such as high costs, low efficiency, and the generation of secondary pollutants in removing antibiotics. Phytoremediation, as a nature-based solution, uses plants and their rhizosphere microbial communities to absorb, degrade, or stabilize antibiotics, offering advantages such as low cost, environmental friendliness, and ecological benefits. However, the efficiency of phytoremediation is influenced by multiple factors, including antibiotic types, plant species, and environmental conditions. Moreover, the ecological toxicity of degradation byproducts remains unclear. In this context, the article systematically summarizes the mechanisms of phytoremediation for antibiotic pollution, key plant species, and the role of rhizosphere microorganisms, while highlighting the challenges and future directions for practical applications.
Research Methods and Experiments
The article follows the PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews and conducts a comprehensive search of studies on phytoremediation of antibiotic pollution published between 2015 and August 2025 in the PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases. The review focuses on plant species selection, remediation mechanisms (such as phytoextraction, phytodegradation, rhizodegradation, and phytostabilization), the synergistic role of rhizosphere microorganisms, and optimization of system design. The inclusion criteria encompass study types (peer-reviewed articles only), antibiotic relevance, and investigations into plant and microbial mechanisms.
Key Conclusions and Perspectives
Research Significance and Prospects
Phytoremediation provides a sustainable and cost-effective alternative for managing antibiotic pollution, particularly suitable for resource-limited or rural areas. By optimizing plant–microbe interactions and integrating system design with biotechnological innovations, more efficient and adaptable remediation systems can be developed. Future research must focus on the ecological safety of degradation pathways, strategies for controlling antibiotic resistance genes, and the application of multi-omics technologies to system optimization.
Conclusion
Antibiotic pollution has emerged as a global environmental and health crisis, with traditional treatment technologies facing significant cost and efficiency limitations. Phytoremediation, as a nature-based solution, utilizes the synergistic interactions of plants and rhizosphere microorganisms to effectively remove various antibiotics, including sulfonamides, quinolones, and tetracyclines. This technology has been preliminarily applied in constructed wetlands and agricultural buffer systems, but its efficiency is influenced by antibiotic types, plant species, and environmental conditions. Future integration of synthetic microbiomes, genetically engineered plants, and smart monitoring technologies could position phytoremediation as a key strategy for managing antibiotic pollution. Additionally, further research is required to clarify the ecological risks of degradation byproducts and develop strategies to control the spread of antibiotic resistance genes, ensuring the long-term safety and effectiveness of this technology.
