Responses of microbial communities in coastal sediments exposed to triclocarban and triclosan

Jingwei Wang; Pan Zhao; Jiaxin Wang; Shuzhen Li; Qiao Ma

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2025.117530

Responses of microbial communities in coastal sediments exposed to triclocarban and triclosan

Mar Pollut Bull. 2025 Jan 10:212:117530. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2025.117530. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Jingwei Wang¹, Pan Zhao¹, Jiaxin Wang¹, Shuzhen Li², Qiao Ma³

Affiliations

¹ College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian 116026, China.
² Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical Engineering, Ocean and Life Sciences, Dalian University of Technology, Panjin 124221, China.
³ College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian 116026, China. Electronic address: xiaoma0556@dlmu.edu.cn.

PMID: 39798524
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2025.117530

Abstract

Triclocarban (TCC) and triclosan (TCS) are applied in a wide range of pharmaceutical and personal care products to prevent or reduce bacterial growth. Due to their extensive application, they are frequently detected in marine environments. In this study, marine sediment systems exposed to different concentrations of TCC and TCS were established to evaluate their effects on microbial communities. It was found that TCC and TCS increased catalase and protease activities on Day 1, but inhibited after 15 days. Microbial activity, as indicated by increased dehydrogenase activity and polysaccharide production, should be enhanced after a 15-day adaptation period. High-throughput sequencing revealed resilient α-diversity but significant shifts in community structures were observed, particularly on Day 15. Function prediction analysis confirmed that most functional profiles remained stable, and network analysis indicated that TCC and TCS enhanced the complexity of the microbial community. This study provides new insights into the impacts and risks of TCC and TCS on the marine environment.

Keywords: Marine sediment; Microbial community; Triclocarban; Triclosan.