Biotic remedies for Antibiotic pollution: A Review on Bioremediation Strategies

Abstract

Antibiotics are essential for resisting bacterial infections and have been extensively used as medicine for humans, and animals. Excessive usage of antibiotics has led to an increased population of antibiotic-resistant microbes and antibiotic-resistant genes (ARGs) are becoming a threat to human and animal health. Microbial degradation of antibiotics for the removal of these compounds in both natural and synthetic environments depend on their optimal growth condition such as pH, temperature, trace elements, carbon and nitrogen sources. Biological approaches for the removal of pollutants have several advantages over physical and chemical processes, such as cost and eco-friendly benefits. However, the mechanisms and processes of antibiotic degradation in the environment are not well known. Microbes possess antibiotic degrading enzymes such as beta lactamase, esterase, nitroreductases, hydroquinone dioxygenase, ammonia monooxygenase, laccase, peroxidase and peroxygenase showing their evolutionary modification in response to the selective pressures of antibiotic exposure. Algae-based technologies provide advantages like CO₂ fixation, low ecological impact, harnessing solar energy and ability to produce biofuel and other valuable by-products while simultaneously degrading antibiotics. Rhizospheric bacteria play a crucial role in antibiotic degradation in response to environmental stress, which leads to improved adaptation and enhanced growth of plants. This review aims to summarize the various bioremediation strategies that can be employed for the degradation of antibiotics and the mechanisms involved in the degradation by bacteria, algae and fungi in the biodegradation of antibiotics. Understanding these pathways of microbe mediated degradation will help us to discover research connected to the metabolomics of these pathways and recent advancements in bioremediation.