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Aged Biodegradable Nanoplastics Enhance Body Accumulation Associated with Worse Neuronal Damage in Caenorhabditis elegans
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Scientists studied how UV-aged biodegradable nanoplastics from common biodegradable plastics (PBS and PBAT) affect tiny worms used as a model organism. They found that after sun exposure, these nanoplastics became smaller and accumulated more in the worms' bodies, causing worse nerve damage than fresh particles. This suggests that as biodegradable plastics break down in the environment, they may actually become more harmful to nervous systems over time.
The environmental and health challenges posed by petroleum-based biodegradable plastics, such as polybutylene succinate (PBS) and polybutyleneadipate-co-terephthalate (PBAT), are a significant concern because they are increasingly present in the environment and contribute a substantial proportion of microplastics (MPs) or nanoplastics (NPs). In this study, ultraviolet (UV)-aged PBS-NPs and PBAT-NPs are found to have a higher propensity to accumulate within the body of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) by prolonging the defecation interval, which could induce severe neuronal damage compared to pristine NPs. The increased accumulation of biodegradable nanoplastics (BNPs) and subsequent impairments of neurobehavior are highly attributed to their reduced particle size and altered surface properties, including changed chemical bonds and functional groups after photoaging. Aged BNPs also cause more severe damage to GABAergic neurons and neurotransmitter receptors, resulting in disrupted neuronal homeostasis and behaviors. Overall, BNPs of both PBS and PBAT components show no significant differences in biological accumulation and mechanisms of neural damage, highlighting the commonalities and characteristics of the adverse effects of petroleum-based BNPs on the nervous system. Our study opens up the exploration of the health impacts of photoaging and the degradation state of BNPs that are increasingly present in the environment.
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Chronic exposure to UV-aged microplastics induces neurotoxicity by affecting dopamine, glutamate, and serotonin neurotransmission in Caenorhabditis elegans
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Researchers found that UV-aged microplastics caused more severe neurotoxic effects than pristine microplastics when worms were chronically exposed to low concentrations. The aged particles disrupted dopamine, glutamate, and serotonin signaling pathways and caused visible neurodegeneration in the test organisms. The study suggests that microplastics become more harmful as they weather in the environment, which is an important consideration for assessing real-world exposure risks.
Comparison of reproductive toxicity between pristine and aged polylactic acid microplastics in Caenorhabditis elegans
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This study compared the effects of new versus UV-aged biodegradable PLA microplastics on reproductive health using a worm model, finding that aged particles caused significantly more reproductive damage and DNA injury. The results suggest that biodegradable plastics become more toxic as they weather in the environment, which matters because these aged particles are what organisms, including humans, are most likely to encounter.
Photoaged polystyrene nanoplastics exposure results in reproductive toxicity due to oxidative damage in Caenorhabditis elegans
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Researchers exposed the roundworm C. elegans to polystyrene nanoplastics that had been aged by sunlight, simulating real-world environmental conditions. The study found that these weathered nanoplastics caused more severe reproductive harm than pristine particles, primarily through increased oxidative stress, suggesting that aging makes plastic particles more toxic to living organisms.
Photoaged microplastics induce neurotoxicity associated with damage to serotonergic, glutamatergic, dopaminergic, and GABAergic neuronal systems in Caenorhabditis elegans
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Researchers found that sunlight-aged microplastics caused more severe brain and nerve damage than fresh microplastics in lab worms, disrupting four major neurotransmitter systems: serotonin, glutamate, dopamine, and GABA. Even at very low, environmentally realistic concentrations, the aged particles impaired movement and altered gene expression related to nerve signaling. Since most microplastics in the real world have been weathered by sunlight, this study suggests that the neurotoxic risks of environmental microplastic exposure may be greater than studies using pristine particles indicate.
UV-aged nanoplastics induced stronger biotoxicity to earthworms: Differential effects and the underlying mechanisms of pristine and aged polystyrene nanoplastics
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Researchers compared the toxicity of pristine versus UV-aged polystyrene nanoplastics on earthworms and found that aged nanoplastics caused significantly stronger harmful effects. At higher concentrations, aged nanoplastics increased earthworm mortality by 11.1% and reduced reproduction, with the enhanced toxicity attributed to changes in surface properties that occur during environmental UV weathering.
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