We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
New Evidence for the Mechanisms of Nanoplastics Amplifying Cadmium Cytotoxicity: Trojan Horse Effect, Inflammatory Response, and Calcium Imbalance
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers discovered that nanoplastics act as a "Trojan horse" by carrying cadmium (a toxic heavy metal) into liver cells and then releasing it inside, amplifying cadmium's toxicity by over 23%. The combined exposure triggered more severe inflammation and cell death than either pollutant alone, demonstrating how nanoplastics can make other environmental contaminants more dangerous to human health.
Nanoplastics (NPs) are emerging pollutants worldwide. Particularly worrisome is that although studies have reported that NPs can amplify the biotoxicity of environmental pollutants, the specific mechanism remains unclear. Here, we found that NPs, even without significant toxicity (cell survival: 99.11%), amplified the hepatocyte toxicity of Cd2+. Mechanistically, higher Cd2+ uptake (Δ = 23.80%) combined with crucial intracellular desorption behavior of Cd2+ loaded in NPs (desorption rate: 82.70%) were identified as prerequisites for NPs amplifying Cd2+ cytotoxicity. As for toxigenic pathways, the inflammatory response and calcium (Ca) signaling pathway were identified as the primary molecular events leading to the amplification of Cd2+ cytotoxicity. Further phenotypic monitoring revealed that NPs synergized with Cd2+ to induce more severe pyroptosis and apoptosis by activating the inflammatory caspase-1-dependent and Ca2+-mitochondrial-caspase-3 pathways to a greater extent, respectively. This study reveals and proves for the first time the "Trojan horse" effects of NPs, thus elucidating the actual mechanisms by which NPs act as toxicity amplifiers of pollutants, providing significant insights into accurate risk assessment of NPs in composite pollution.
More Papers Like This
NewEvidence forthe Mechanisms of Nanoplastics AmplifyingCadmium Cytotoxicity: Trojan Horse Effect, Inflammatory Response,and Calcium Imbalance
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers found that nanoplastics amplify cadmium cytotoxicity by transporting cadmium ions into cells more efficiently than cadmium alone, identifying specific molecular mechanisms involving membrane disruption and intracellular cadmium accumulation that explain the synergistic toxicity.
Co-exposure with cadmium elevates the toxicity of microplastics: Trojan horse effect from the perspective of intestinal barrier
AI summary Read the abstract
When mice were exposed to both microplastics and the toxic metal cadmium together, the health damage to their intestines and liver was significantly worse than exposure to either pollutant alone. The microplastics acted like a "Trojan horse," carrying cadmium past the gut barrier and increasing its accumulation in the body, while also disrupting the gut microbiome.
Polystyrene Microplastics as a Trojan Horse for Cadmium: Synergistic Apoptosis, Oxidative Stress, and Incomplete Recovery in Oreochromis niloticus
AI summary Read the abstract
Scientists found that when tiny plastic particles (microplastics) and cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, team up, they cause more cell damage and stress in fish than either one does alone, acting like a "Trojan horse" that helps the metal get into the body. Even after exposure stopped, the fish didn't fully recover. This matters because it suggests microplastics in our environment could be secretly carrying and worsening the effects of other pollutants, raising questions about the combined risks we face from eating contaminated fish or being exposed to both pollutants together.
New molecular mechanism of nanoplastics affecting cadmium protein toxicity: Conformational response and differential binding of human serum albumin
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers showed that cadmium alone disrupts the structure and transport function of human serum albumin (the blood's main protein carrier), and that co-exposure with nanoplastics — which form a protein corona by binding albumin to their surface — further exacerbates these structural disruptions and enzyme activity losses, raising concerns about combined nanoplastic-heavy metal toxicity.
Nanoplastics-induced hormesis enhances cadmium bioaccumulation in nematodes by stimulating glutathione synthesis
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers found that tiny nanoplastics can amplify the buildup of the heavy metal cadmium in worms, not by directly carrying the metal but by triggering a biological stress response that doubles the production of a natural detox molecule called glutathione. The glutathione binds to cadmium and traps it in gut tissues, increasing accumulation by up to 71%. This suggests nanoplastics may worsen the risks of heavy metal pollution in unexpected ways.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.