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The effect of microplastics on human lung cell lines

Repository of the Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb 2025 Score: 48 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
Vedrana Bučko

Summary

Researchers exposed three human lung cell lines—non-tumor WI-38, and tumor A549 and H1299—to polystyrene microspheres of 1.5 µm, 5 µm, and 10 µm diameters at concentrations of 1–1000 µg/mL. All cell lines showed increased proliferation at the highest concentrations and smallest particle sizes, with expression changes in cell cycle regulators AKT1, SMG1, and Caspase-9 suggesting complex size- and concentration-dependent cellular mechanisms.

Body Systems

Mikroplastika je sveprisutni zagađivač s potencijalno štetnim učincima na ljudsko zdravlje, osobito na dišni sustav. Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je ispitati toksičnost polistirenskih mikroplastičnih sfera promjera 1,5 μm, 5 μm i 10 μm na tri ljudske stanične linije pluća: netumorsku WI-38 te tumorske A549 i H1299. Stanična vijabilnost procijenjena je testom citotoksičnosti nakon tretmana različitim koncentracijama mikroplastike u rasponu 1-1000 μg/mL. Rezultati su pokazali povećanu staničnu proliferaciju pri najvećim koncentracijama mikroplastike i najmanjem promjeru čestica u svim staničnim linijama. Analiza ekspresije ključnih regulatora staničnog ciklusa AKT1, SMG1 i KASPAZE-9 provedena je kako bi se razjasnili mehanizmi koji stoje iza zabilježenih učinaka. Najvažniji nalazi uključuju značajan porast ekspresije AKT1 i smanjenje CASP-9 u A549 stanicama pri tretmanu mikroplastičnim česticama promjera 1,5 μm i koncentracije 100 i 1000 μg/mL i pad ekspresije tumor-supresorskog proteina SMG1 u stanicama WI-38 i H1299 u više uvjeta. Ovakav profil ekspresije proteina upućuje na to da mikroplastične čestice u ispitivanim uvjetima ne djeluju toksično, ne induciraju stanični stres ili apoptozu već potiču signalne puteve povezane s preživljavanjem i proliferacijom stanica.

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