Several studies have provided information on environmental nanoplastic particles/debris, but the in vitro cyto-genotoxicity is still insufficiently characterized. The aim of this study is to analyze the effects of polystyrene nanoparticles (PNPs) in the Hs27 cell line. The viability of Hs27 cells was determined following exposure at different time windows and PNP concentrations. The genotoxic effects of the PNPs were evaluated by the cytokinesis-block micronucleus (CBMN) assay after exposure to PNPs. We performed ROS analysis on HS27 cells to detect reactive oxygen species at different times and treatments in the presence of PNPs alone and PNPs added to the Crocus sativus L. extract. The different parameters of the CBMN test showed DNA damage, resulting in the increased formation of micronuclei and nuclear buds. We noted a greater increase in ROS production in the short treatment times, in contrast, PNPs added to Crocus sativus extract showed the ability to reduce ROS production. Finally, the SEM-EDX analysis showed a three-dimensional structure of the PNPs with an elemental composition given by C and O. This work defines PNP toxicity resulting in DNA damage and underlines the emerging problem of polystyrene nanoparticles, which extends transversely from the environment to humans; further studies are needed to clarify the internalization process.
Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) has been shown to exert beneficial effects against carcinogenesis, atherosclerosis and diabetes. It has been demonstrated that CLA modulates lipid metabolism through the activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs). The PPAR family comprises 3 closely related gene products, PPAR a, b/d and c, differing for tissue distribution, developmental expression and ligand specificity. It has also been demonstrated that activated PPARc results in growth inhibition and differentiation of transformed cells. These observations stimulated a great interest toward PPARc ligands as potential anticancer drugs to be used in a differentiation therapy. Glioblastomas are the most commonly diagnosed primary tumors of the brain in humans. The prognosis of patients with high-grade gliomas is poor and only marginally improved by chemotherapy. The aim of this work was to study the effects of CLA and of a specific synthetic PPARc ligand on cell growth, differentiation and death of a human glioblastoma cell line as well as on parameters responsible for the metastatic behavior of this tumor. We demonstrate here that CLA and PPARc agonist strongly inhibit cell growth and proliferation rate and induce apoptosis. Moreover, both treatments decrease cell migration and invasiveness. The results obtained show that CLA acts, directly or indirectly, as a PPARc activator, strongly suggesting that this naturally occurring fatty acid may be used as brain antitumor drug and as a chemopreventive agent. Moreover, the c-agonist, once experimented and validated on man, may represent a useful coadjuvant in glioblastoma therapy and in the prevention of recurrences. ' 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
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