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The Science of the Total Environment Mar 2024The emerging contaminant nanoplastics (NPs) have received considerable attention. Due to their tiny size and unique colloidal properties, NPs could more easily enter the...
The emerging contaminant nanoplastics (NPs) have received considerable attention. Due to their tiny size and unique colloidal properties, NPs could more easily enter the body and cross biological barriers with inhalation exposure. While NPs-induced hepatotoxicity has been reported, the hepatic impact of inhaled NPs was still unknown. To close this gap, a 40 nm polystyrene NPs (PS-NPs) inhalation exposure mice model was developed to explore the hepatotoxicity during acute (1 week), subacute (4 weeks), and subchronic period (12 weeks), with four exposure doses (0, 16, 40, and 100 μg/day). Results showed that inhaled PS-NPs caused a remarkable increase of ALT, AST, and ALP with a decrease of CHE, indicating liver dysfunction. Various histological abnormalities and significantly higher levels of inflammation in a dose- and time-dependent manner were observed. Moreover, after 4 weeks and 12 weeks of exposure, Masson staining and upregulated expression of TGF-β, α-SMA, and Col1a1 identified that inhaled PS-NPs exposure triggered the progression of liver fibrosis with the exposure time prolonged. From the mechanistic perspective, transcriptome analysis revealed that ferroptosis was involved in PS-NPs-induced liver hepatotoxicity, and key features of ferroptosis were detected, including persistent oxidative stress, iron overload, increased LPO, mitochondria damage, and the expression changes of GPX4, TFRC, and Ferritin. And in vitro and in vivo recovery tests showed that ferroptosis inhibitor Fer-1 treatment alleviated liver injury and fibrosis. The above results confirmed the critical role of ferroptosis in PS-NPs-induced hepatotoxicity. Furthermore, to better conclude our findings and understand the mechanistic causality within it, an adverse outcome pathway (AOP) framework was established. In total, this present study conducted the first experimental assessment of inhalation exposure to PS-NPs on the liver, identified that continuous inhaled PS-NPs could cause liver injury and fibrosis, and PS-NPs- ferroptosis provided a novel mechanistic explanation.
Topics: Animals; Mice; Microplastics; Polystyrenes; Ferroptosis; Liver Cirrhosis; Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury; Nanoparticles
PubMed: 38278228
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170342 -
International Journal of... 2024Ethylenediamine-N,N'-disuccinic acid (EDDS) has been studied extensively for its potential use as an amendment in agriculture due to its numerous beneficial properties....
Ethylenediamine-N,N'-disuccinic acid (EDDS) has been studied extensively for its potential use as an amendment in agriculture due to its numerous beneficial properties. The widespread usage of microplastics (MPs) poses a growing threat to plant growth. This study investigated the effects of Polystyrene MPs (PSMPs) and EDDS on soil pH, EC, organic matter (OM), available nutrients, and maize ( L.) growth in a calcareous soil. Results showed that both PS and EDDS had significant effects on soil pH, with higher concentrations leading to a decrease in pH. PSMPs negatively impacted soil health by increasing EC and decreasing OM, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). EDDS had potential applications in soil remediation and phytoremediation by decreasing EC and increasing N, P, and K. The interaction between EDDS and PSMPs suggests that their effects on soil pH may be modulated by each other. The study highlights the potential negative impacts of high concentrations of PS on soil health and the potential benefits of using EDDS at lower concentrations in soil remediation and phytoremediation. However, further research is needed to understand the mechanisms and environmental impacts of EDDS and the combined effects of EDDS and PSMPs on soil properties and plant growth.
Topics: Soil; Polystyrenes; Biodegradation, Environmental; Plastics; Agriculture; Zea mays; Soil Pollutants
PubMed: 37667464
DOI: 10.1080/15226514.2023.2250464 -
Chemosphere Sep 2023Sorption studies involving microplastics (MPs) are essential to understand the mechanisms implicated in contaminant retention. In this research, a complete study of the...
Sorption studies involving microplastics (MPs) are essential to understand the mechanisms implicated in contaminant retention. In this research, a complete study of the sorption behaviour of a hormonal contraceptive -levonorgestrel- in MPs of different composition in two distinct matrices was performed, using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to a UV detector for the determination of levonorgestrel. Characterization of the studied MPs was achieved by X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, and Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy. Kinetic and isotherm studies were performed using a batch design under controlled conditions: 500 mg of MPs pellets of 3-5 mm diameter, agitation at 125 rpm, and 30 °C. The comparison of results in ultrapure water and artificial seawater, revealed changes in sorption capacity, and the predominant sorption mechanisms involved. Overall, all studied MPs showed sorption affinity towards levonorgestrel, being low-density polyethylene the one with the highest sorption capacity in ultrapure water and polystyrene in seawater.
Topics: Microplastics; Polystyrenes; Polyethylene; Polypropylenes; Plastics; Levonorgestrel; Water; Water Pollutants, Chemical; Adsorption
PubMed: 37244556
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.139042 -
International Journal of Molecular... Nov 2023Polymers' controlled pyrolysis is an economical and environmentally friendly solution to prepare activated carbon. However, due to the experimental difficulty in...
Polymers' controlled pyrolysis is an economical and environmentally friendly solution to prepare activated carbon. However, due to the experimental difficulty in measuring the dependence between microstructure and pyrolysis parameters at high temperatures, the unknown pyrolysis mechanism hinders access to the target products with desirable morphologies and performances. In this study, we investigate the pyrolysis process of polystyrene (PS) under different heating rates and temperatures employing reactive molecular dynamics (ReaxFF-MD) simulations. A clear profile of the generation of pyrolysis products determined by the temperature and heating rate is constructed. It is found that the heating rate affects the type and amount of pyrolysis intermediates and their timing, and that low-rate heating helps yield more diverse pyrolysis intermediates. While the temperature affects the pyrolytic structure of the final equilibrium products, either too low or too high a target temperature is detrimental to generating large areas of the graphitized structure. The reduced time plots (RTPs) with simulation results predict a PS pyrolytic activation energy of 159.74 kJ/mol. The established theoretical evolution process matches experiments well, thus, contributing to preparing target activated carbons by referring to the regulatory mechanism of pyrolytic microstructure.
Topics: Polystyrenes; Molecular Dynamics Simulation; Pyrolysis; Temperature; Heating
PubMed: 38003591
DOI: 10.3390/ijms242216403 -
Environmental Science and Pollution... Dec 2023This study investigated the photodegradation of microplastics (MPs) by α-FeO/g-CN. The effects of α-FeO/g-CN on MPs' surface were investigated through various...
This study investigated the photodegradation of microplastics (MPs) by α-FeO/g-CN. The effects of α-FeO/g-CN on MPs' surface were investigated through various techniques. With the addition of α-FeO/g-CN and under visible light irradiation, cracks and folds were observed on the MP films and particles. Compared to the treatment without photocatalyst addition, the mass loss of MPs increased with irradiation time when α-FeO/g-CN was added. Specifically, polystyrene films and particles in water showed 9.94% and 7.81% increased mass loss, respectively. The degradation of MPs using α-FeO/g-CN demonstrated the behavior consistent with the pseudo-first-order kinetic model. The presence of α-FeO/g-CN led to an increase in surface oxygen-containing functional groups and crystallinity while decreasing the average molecular weight of MPs. After 30 days of irradiation, the characteristic tensile bands of MPs with α-FeO/g-CN significantly increased, and the detection of carboxyl bands indicated the formation of carboxylic acid, ketones, and lactones as degradation products.
Topics: Polyethylene; Polystyrenes; Microplastics; Plastics; Carboxylic Acids
PubMed: 37953423
DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-31000-x -
Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Jan 2024Nanoplastics (NPs) are widely found and threaten environmental and biological safety, because they do not degrade completely. We aimed to preliminarily explore the...
Nanoplastics (NPs) are widely found and threaten environmental and biological safety, because they do not degrade completely. We aimed to preliminarily explore the toxicity of NPs in obese children, because childhood obesity is a growing global health concern. We used zebrafish as a vertebrate toxicological model to examine the hepatic lipid metabolism and gut microbiota in juvenile zebrafish exposed to 1000 μg/L polystyrene NPs and a high-fat diet (HFD) using Raman spectroscopy, pathological examination, transcriptome analysis, and 16S sequencing techniques. Our study showed that polystyrene NPs perturb the lipid metabolism and gut microbiota stability in zebrafish. Furthermore, the combined effects of polystyrene NPs and HFD resulted in gastrointestinal injury. Our study is one of the first to investigate the toxicity of polystyrene NPs to normal-diet and HFD juvenile zebrafish using confocal Raman spectroscopy. Our results show the importance of a healthy diet and a reduction in the use of plasticware. Environ Toxicol Chem 2024;43:147-158. © 2023 SETAC.
Topics: Child; Animals; Humans; Diet, High-Fat; Zebrafish; Polystyrenes; Microplastics; Pediatric Obesity; Liver; Intestines
PubMed: 37850736
DOI: 10.1002/etc.5767 -
Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety Mar 2024Microplastics (MPs)/nanoplastics (NPs), as a source and vector of pathogenic bacteria, are widely distributed in the natural environments. Here, we investigated the...
Microplastics (MPs)/nanoplastics (NPs), as a source and vector of pathogenic bacteria, are widely distributed in the natural environments. Here, we investigated the combined effects of polystyrene NPs (PS-NPs) and lipopolysaccharides (LPS) on testicular function in mice for the first time. 24 male mice were randomly assigned into 4 groups, control, PS-NPs, LPS, and PS-NPs + LPS, respectively. Histological alterations of the testes were observed in mice exposed to PS-NPs, LPS or PS-NPs + LPS. Total sperm count, the levels of testosterone in plasma and testes, the expression levels of steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) decreased more remarkable in testes of mice treated with PS-NPs and LPS than the treatment with LPS or PS-NPs alone. Compared with PS-NPs treatment, LPS treatment induced more sever inflammatory response in testes of mice. Moreover, PS-NPs combined with LPS treatment increased the expression of these inflammatory factors more significantly than LPS treatment alone. In addition, PS-NPs or LPS treatment induced oxidative stress in testes of mice, but their combined effect is not significantly different from LPS treatment alone. These results suggest that PS-NPs exacerbate LPS-induced testicular dysfunction. Our results provide new evidence for the threats to male reproductive function induced by both NPs and bacterial infection in human health.
Topics: Humans; Animals; Male; Mice; Testis; Lipopolysaccharides; Microplastics; Plastics; Polystyrenes; Semen; Inflammation; Testosterone; Nanoparticles
PubMed: 38458071
DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2024.116180 -
Analytical Methods : Advancing Methods... Sep 2023Dielectrophoretic (DEP) separation has been recognized as a practical tool in the separation of cells and particles for clinical diagnosis, the pharmaceutical industry...
Dielectrophoretic (DEP) separation has been recognized as a practical tool in the separation of cells and particles for clinical diagnosis, the pharmaceutical industry and environmental monitoring. Assembly of particles and cells under DEP force is a common phenomenon and has an influence on their separation but has not been understood fully. Encouraged by these aspects, we developed a microfluidic device with a bipolar electrode array to investigate the assembly and separation of particles and cells at a large scale. First, we studied the assembly and evolution mechanisms of particles of one type under an AC electric field. Then, we investigated the interaction and assembly of multiple particles with dissimilar properties under DEP force. Depending on the development of microfluidic devices, we visualize the assembly process of yeast cells at the electrode rims and of polystyrene particles at the channel centers, and explore the influence of pearl chain formation on their separation. With increasing flow velocity from 288 to 720 μL h, the purity of 5 μm polystyrene particles surpasses 94.9%. Furthermore, we studied the DEP response of sp. and , and explored the influence of cell chains on the isolation of . The purity of sp. and witnessed a decrease from 95.7% to 90.8% when the flow rate increased from 288 to 864 μL h. Finally, we investigated the extension of the electric field under chains of sp. at the electrode rims by studying chain formation and capture of , and studied its effect on cell chain length, recovered cell purity and cell concentration. When chains of sp. were formed, the purity of kept unchanged and the concentration decreased from 2793 cells per μL to 2039 cells per μL. This work demonstrates continuous DEP-based assembly and separation of particles and cells, which facilitates high-efficiency isolation of targeted cells.
Topics: Polystyrenes; Drug Industry; Electricity; Electrodes; Environmental Monitoring; Saccharomyces cerevisiae; Scenedesmus
PubMed: 37610139
DOI: 10.1039/d3ay00666b -
The Science of the Total Environment Sep 2023Polystyrene (PS) is a crucial material for modern plastic manufacturers, but its widespread use and direct discard in the environment severely affect the food chain.... (Review)
Review
Polystyrene (PS) is a crucial material for modern plastic manufacturers, but its widespread use and direct discard in the environment severely affect the food chain. This review provides a detailed study on the impact of PS microplastics (PS-MPs) on the food chain and the environment, including information on their mechanism, degradation process, and toxicity. The accumulation of PS-MPs in organisms' different organs leads to various adverse reactions, such as reduced body weight, premature deaths, pulmonary diseases, neurotoxicity, transgenerational issues, oxidative stress, metabolic alterations, ecotoxicity, immunotoxicity, and other dysfunctions. These consequences affect diverse elements in the food chain, spanning from aquatic species to mammals and humans. The review also addresses the need for sustainable plastic waste management policies and technological developments to prevent the adverse impacts of PS-MPs on the food chain. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of developing a precise, flexible, and effective methodology for extracting and quantifying PS-MPs in food, considering their characteristics like particle size, polymer types, and forms. While several studies have focused on the toxicity of polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs) in aquatic species, further investigation is required to understand the mechanisms by which they are transferred across multiple trophic levels. Therefore, this article serves as the first comprehensive review, examining the mechanism, degradation process, and toxicity of PS-MPs. It presents an analysis of the current research landscape of PS-MPs in the global food chain, providing insights for future researchers and governing organizations to adopt better approaches to managing PS-MPs and preventing their adverse impacts on the food chain. As far as we know this is the first article on this specific and impactant topic.
Topics: Humans; Animals; Microplastics; Polystyrenes; Plastics; Food Chain; Body Weight; Water Pollutants, Chemical; Mammals
PubMed: 37268142
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164531 -
Food and Chemical Toxicology : An... Oct 2023Ubiquitous microplastics have become a threat to animal and human health, due to their potential toxicity, persistent nature and consequent bioaccumulation. Supporting...
Ubiquitous microplastics have become a threat to animal and human health, due to their potential toxicity, persistent nature and consequent bioaccumulation. Supporting evidence elucidates that polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NPs) can destroy blood-testis barrier integrity, thus causing testicular hypoplasia and impairment of spermatogenesis. Nevertheless, how PS-NPs modulate macrophage polarization-energy metabolism crosstalk has not been fully investigated in testicular tissue. Here, we observed that polystyrene PS-NPs exposure contributes to severe vacuolization in the seminiferous tubules, accompanied by apoptosis of testicular tissue and infiltration of M1 macrophages. Meanwhile, we found that PS-NPs could trigger the M1 polarization phenotype, which activated ROS-macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF)/NF-κB signaling that in turn induced apoptosis of GC2 cells in the GC2-macrophage cell coculture model. Simultaneously, we confirmed that PS-NPs exposure increased 3-phospho-D-glycerate, phosphoenolpyruvate and lactate concentrations, accompanied by decreased pyruvate and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production, likely due to downregulated pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) dimer expression. In conclusion, the mechanism of PS-NPs-induced testicular inflammation can be mediated by promoting the infiltration of M1 macrophages, thereby resulting in an ROS burst and subsequent induction of energy metabolism disorders. The current study will provide new insights into PS-NPs-induced male reproductive toxicity and highlight the context-specific roles of testicular macrophages.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Male; Microplastics; Polystyrenes; Plastics; Reactive Oxygen Species; Macrophages; Energy Metabolism; Inflammation; Nanoparticles; Water Pollutants, Chemical
PubMed: 37634612
DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2023.114002