The potential effects of in vitro digestion on the physicochemical and biological characteristics of polystyrene nanoplastics

Vela, Lourdes; Villacorta, Aliro; Venus, Tom; Estrela‐Lopis, Irina; Pastor, Susana; García‐Rodríguez, Alba; Rubio, Laura; Marcos, Ricard; Hernández, Alba

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121656

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…The uptake of uncharged MNPs with sizes < 500 nm was significantly increased upon in vitro gastrointestinal digestion compared to only serum incubation. This corroborates earlier studies that showed that in vitro digestion increases the uptake of 50–100 nm polystyrene particles into various blood cells, including THP-1 monocytes; however, larger particles or particles with surface modifications were not considered in that study [ 58 ]. The in vitro digestion-associated increased cellular uptake was most apparent for the PS50, PS100 and PS200 MNPs, while for the PS500 MNPs, this treatment-related difference was only significant for the lowest concentration used.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…The alteration in complement and coagulation components was less pronounced in charged PS MNPs or in MNPs of 1000 nm, resulting in a minimal effect of digestion on their uptake. The increased uptake of digested MNPs may lead to increased mitochondrial membrane potential, of macrophages as an increased internal dose (of 40–90 nm 0.7–0.9 µm and polystyrene MNPs) has been associated with perturbed mitochondrial potential, ROS production and alterations in surface marker expression of J774A.1 mouse macrophages [ 88 ], although other studies revealed no obvious increase in toxicity after THP-1 monocyte exposure to in vitro digested 50–100 nm PS MNPs [ 58 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The in vitro gastrointestinal digestion-associated protein corona of polystyrene nano- and microplastics increases their uptake by human THP-1-derived macrophages

Brouwer,

Porbahaie,

Boeren

et al. 2024

Part Fibre Toxicol

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Background Micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) represent one of the most widespread environmental pollutants of the twenty-first century to which all humans are orally exposed. Upon ingestion, MNPs pass harsh biochemical conditions within the gastrointestinal tract, causing a unique protein corona on the MNP surface. Little is known about the digestion-associated protein corona and its impact on the cellular uptake of MNPs. Here, we systematically studied the influence of gastrointestinal digestion on the cellular uptake of neutral and charged polystyrene MNPs using THP-1-derived macrophages. Results The protein corona composition was quantified using LC‒MS–MS-based proteomics, and the cellular uptake of MNPs was determined using flow cytometry and confocal microscopy. Gastrointestinal digestion resulted in a distinct protein corona on MNPs that was retained in serum-containing cell culture medium. Digestion increased the uptake of uncharged MNPs below 500 nm by 4.0–6.1-fold but did not affect the uptake of larger sized or charged MNPs. Forty proteins showed a good correlation between protein abundance and MNP uptake, including coagulation factors, apolipoproteins and vitronectin. Conclusion This study provides quantitative data on the presence of gastrointestinal proteins on MNPs and relates this to cellular uptake, underpinning the need to include the protein corona in hazard assessment of MNPs. Graphical abstract

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The in vitro gastrointestinal digestion-associated protein corona of polystyrene nano- and microplastics increases their uptake by human THP-1-derived macrophages

Brouwer,

Porbahaie,

Boeren

et al. 2024

Part Fibre Toxicol

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“…A recent study also reported the absence of significant toxicity toward THP-1 cells at low doses of NPs. NPs are more harmful than MPs because the biological effect is caused by MNPs entering the cell. , Therefore, 100 nm NPs at a concentration of 100 μg/mL were chosen for subsequent experiments.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intracellular Protein Adsorption Behavior and Biological Effects of Polystyrene Nanoplastics in THP-1 Cells

Liu,

Wang,

Sheng

et al. 2024

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Micro(nano)plastics (MNPs) are emerging pollutants that can adsorb pollutants in the environment and biological molecules and ultimately affect human health. However, the aspects of adsorption of intracellular proteins onto MNPs and its biological effects in cells have not been investigated to date. The present study revealed that 100 nm polystyrene nanoplastics (NPs) could be internalized by THP-1 cells and specifically adsorbed intracellular proteins. In total, 773 proteins adsorbed onto NPs with high reliability were identified using the proteomics approach and analyzed via bioinformatics to predict the route and distribution of NPs following cellular internalization. The representative proteins identified via the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis were further investigated to characterize protein adsorption onto NPs and its biological effects. The analysis revealed that NPs affect glycolysis through pyruvate kinase M (PKM) adsorption, trigger the unfolded protein response through the adsorption of ribophorin 1 (RPN1) and heat shock 70 protein 8 (HSPA8), and are chiefly internalized into cells through clathrin-mediated endocytosis with concomitant clathrin heavy chain (CLTC) adsorption. Therefore, this work provides new insights and research strategies for the study of the biological effects caused by NPs.

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“…This led to decreased accessibility of the binding sites to paracetamol. 5 Reported an increase in protein agglomeration on plastic surfaces post digestion process compared to the undigested. The etching of the plastic surface due to digestion could increase the surface area for interaction with proteins.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…4 Lymphocytes treated with digested microplastics showed higher toxicity than those treated with undigested microplastics. 5 On average, humans consume approximately 5 g of microplastics per week. 6 Leslie et al reported the isolation of microplastics from human blood.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of nano-polystyrene on human serum albumin–paracetamol interactions: understanding the impact on therapeutic development and safety

Sunil,

Thomas,

Shivashankar

et al. 2024

Environ. Sci.: Nano

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The potential effects of in vitro digestion on the physicochemical and biological characteristics of polystyrene nanoplastics

Cited by 6 publications

References 37 publications

The in vitro gastrointestinal digestion-associated protein corona of polystyrene nano- and microplastics increases their uptake by human THP-1-derived macrophages

The in vitro gastrointestinal digestion-associated protein corona of polystyrene nano- and microplastics increases their uptake by human THP-1-derived macrophages

Intracellular Protein Adsorption Behavior and Biological Effects of Polystyrene Nanoplastics in THP-1 Cells

The impact of nano-polystyrene on human serum albumin–paracetamol interactions: understanding the impact on therapeutic development and safety

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