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NewEvidence forthe Mechanisms of Nanoplastics AmplifyingCadmium Cytotoxicity: Trojan Horse Effect, Inflammatory Response,and Calcium Imbalance
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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.
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.
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New Evidence for the Mechanisms of Nanoplastics Amplifying Cadmium Cytotoxicity: Trojan Horse Effect, Inflammatory Response, and Calcium Imbalance
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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.
New molecular mechanism of nanoplastics affecting cadmium protein toxicity: Conformational response and differential binding of human serum albumin
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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.
Redefining the synergistic toxicity of nano-plastics and cadmium in earthworm coelomocytes: the mechanism of α-amylase molecular docking orientation and energy crisis
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Researchers exposed earthworm immune cells (coelomocytes) to polystyrene nanoplastics combined with the heavy metal cadmium, finding that nanoplastics act as carriers that amplify cadmium uptake and worsen oxidative stress, energy metabolism disruption, and enzyme damage beyond what cadmium causes alone.
Cadmium co-ingestion promotes systemic nanoplastics distribution in mice via multi-level intestinal barrier compromise
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A 35-day mouse study found that cadmium co-ingestion facilitated systemic distribution of polystyrene nanoplastics by compromising multiple levels of intestinal barrier function, including the mucus layer and tight junctions, producing synergistic and irreversible toxicological effects.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.