Antibiotics in agroecosystems: Environmental fate, bioavailability, plant uptake, and associated health risks

Agricultural soils serve as primary sinks for antibiotics, posing severe threats to environmental health and food safety. This review synthesizes the key mechanisms driving antibiotic bioavailability, soil-plant translocation and plant uptake. Our meta-analysis demonstrates that antibiotic exposure induced a substantial oxidative burst in plants, increasing reactive oxygen species by 139.1%. Consequently, this stress reduced chlorophyll and carotenoid contents by 27%-34%, and significantly decreased shoot and root biomass by 26.6% and 45.3%, respectively. Furthermore, antibiotic bioaccumulation in crops facilitated cross-trophic transfer along the food chain. Regarding human health risks, we highlight a critically underestimated threat: the gastrointestinal reactivation of plant-derived masked metabolites, which substantially amplifies actual dietary exposure. These integrated insights provide a robust scientific foundation for refining current risk assessments and developing targeted mitigation strategies for antibiotic pollution in agroecosystems.