Baoshan Xing’s research while affiliated with University of Massachusetts System and other places

... Microplastics, defined as any plastic less than 5 mm in size, have recently been identified as one of the most ubiquitous and potentially harmful environmental pollutants (Lim, 2021) (Zhao et al., 2024) (Li et al., 2025). To date MPs have been shown to induce numerous detrimental health effects, including increased oxidative stress (Kadac-Czapska et al., 2024) (Zou et al., 2023) (Jia et al., 2023), increased inflammation (Pulvirenti et al., 2022) (Gaspar et al., 2023) (Luo et al., 2022), alterations in reproductive function (Urli et al., 2023) (Inam, 2025), and gut dysbiosis (Sofield et al., 2024) (Xie et al., 2021). ...

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Short-Term Exposure to Polystyrene Microplastics Alters Cognition, Immune, and Metabolic Markers in an APOE Genotype and Sex-Dependent Manner

... In a recent work, Bian et al. (2025) showed that specific concentrations of SiO 2 NPs could alter the rhizosphere in ginseng crops, providing diverse habitats for soil microorganisms, fostering microbial interactions, supporting the stability of microbial networks, and positively impacting nutrient cycling within the rhizosphere. Another study by Wang et al. (2024) showed that adding 650 mg L −1 silica nanoparticles in soil altered the tomato plants' rhizosphere and increased beneficial communities of bacteria that promote plant resistance against pathogens. In fact, it is possible to hypothesize that the absence of a difference in biomass between the control group and the groups with only the presence of Si (SiO₂ NPs or Na₂SiO₃), as shown in Fig. 2, could be correlated with the lack of deleterious effects resulting from the addition of Si to the rhizospheric microbiota of soybean plants. ...

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Feasibility of using silica (Na2SiO3 and SiO2NPs) to mitigate mercury in transgenic soybeans grown in contaminated soils and respective effects on nutrient homeostasis

... Z inc is essential for plant growth, and Zn deficiency is the most common micronutrient deficiency in plants. 1 The solubility of Zn fertilizer in a soil determines the effectiveness of Zn availability to plants in Zn-deficient soils. 2 However, only 30−50% of applied bulk ionic fertilizers are absorbed by plant, while the remaining zinc forms insoluble complexes, such as Zn(OH) 2 and ZnCO 3 , in alkaline soils, rendering it unavailable for plant uptake. 3,4 In contrast, nanofertilizers, with their prolonged dissolution properties and nanoscale size, offer higher bioavailability to plants compared to conventional ionic fertilizers, thereby enhancing plant growth and nutrition quality. 3,5 Therefore, nanofertilizers have received increasing attention in agriculture. ...

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ZnO Nanofertilizer Reduced Organic Phosphorus Transformation and Altered Microbial Function in Soil for Sustainable Agriculture

... However, with the rapid development of human society, water pollution is becoming increasingly serious. For example, the discharge of urban sewage, surface runoff from agricultural production, and biomass burning have increased the concentration of pollutants such as black carbon, heavy metals, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in rivers and lakes [3][4][5][6]. These have caused water quality evaluation indicators such as chemical oxygen demand and biochemical oxygen demand to exceed the standards, seriously affecting the health of aquatic ecosystems and causing ecological imbalance [7][8][9]. ...

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Assessment of Water Quality and Pollutant Behavior

... Condensed aromatics and hydrocarbons, peptides, and carbohydrates were minor components of BrCaq (Figs. 9D-F). While some studies reported higher emissions of these molecules, their contribution varies considerably depending on the pyrolysis temperature Oros et al., 2006;Chang et al., 2024). 365 ...

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New water-soluble, toxic tracers of wood burning identified in fine brown carbon aerosol using a non-target approach

... 11,12 Previous reports also revealed that NMs have the capacity to mimic the activity of antioxidant enzymes, thereby scavenging ROS in plants. 11,14,27 For instance, Sun et al. reported that root application of Mn 3 O 4 nanoparticles (11.02 nm) at 500 mg kg −1 significantly alleviated drought stress of maize plants due to mimicking both superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities. 28 In addition, Zhao et al. revealed that NMs have the ability to stimulate defense systems and acquire systemic-acquired acclimation by triggering ROS in crops, and NMs with the ability to trigger ROS are more like a "preventive" strategy that can respond more rapidly to subsequent stress by a form of "stress memory". ...

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Engineered Nanomaterials Enhance Crop Drought Resistance for Sustainable Agriculture

... These effects weakened the electrostatic repulsion forces between GO particles, thereby enhancing their aggregation rates (He et al., 2017). Similar increase in aggregation behavior and D h of GO with rising NaCl concentration have been reported in previous studies (Chowdhury et al., 2013;Lanphere et al., 2013;Tang et al., 2020). ...

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Effect of different climate zone’s humic and fulvic acid on aggregation of UV irradiated graphene oxide

... In what ways do nanoparticles protect the plant microbiome from dysbiosis during climate challenges such as temperature extremes heatwaves? (e.g., [11]). To what degree does the nano-priming of seeds or seedlings establish a unique and stable microbiome that can be effectively passed to the next generation? ...

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Nano-selenium: a novel candidate for plant microbiome engineering

... Various advanced techniques have been developed to resolve MP pollution through degradation and removal processes (Tong et al., 2024). The polymer chains and chemical bonds in the plastics can be destroyed through various methods, resulting in the decomposition into smaller substances or complete degradation into CO2 and H2O. ...

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The Emerging Threat of Micro- and Nanoplastics on the Maturation and Activity of Immune Cells

... Over the past decades, biochar and other carbon-based materials have been extensively utilized for soil improvement, nutrient retention, and pollutant adsorption [3]. As the most reactive and bioavailable fraction of biochar, dissolved biochar (DBC)-consisting of micro-and nanoparticles particles (<1 µm) with a large surface area (400-500 m 2 /g)-has garnered increasing attention due to its enhanced mobility, greater surface reactivity, and potential ecological interactions [4,5]. Studies suggest that DBC plays a crucial role in carbon cycling, nutrient transport, and pollutant dynamics in soil impact of micro/nano biochar on the infectivity, pathogenicity, and development of Steinernema feltiae larvae; (2) examine the regulatory effects of micro/nano biochar on the gene expression of entomopathogenic nematodes using transcriptomic techniques; and (3) detect the pathway for Steinernema feltiae exposed to micro/nano biochar. ...

Reference:

The Impact of Dissolved Biochar on Oxidative Stress and Its Effect on the Virulence of Steinernema feltiae: Implications for Biocontrol Efficiency