We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Baicalein Inhibited Amino‐modified Polystyrene Nanoplastics Induced Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells Pyroptosis by Reducing the Expression of NLRP3/Caspase‐1/Gasdermin D Pathway‐related Proteins
Summary
Researchers tested whether baicalein, a natural plant compound with anti-inflammatory properties, could protect blood vessel cells from damage caused by nanoplastics. They found that baicalein significantly reduced the inflammatory cell death triggered by amino-modified polystyrene nanoplastics by blocking a key inflammatory pathway. The study suggests that natural anti-inflammatory compounds may help mitigate some of the vascular damage associated with nanoplastic exposure.
Amino-modified polystyrene nanoplastics (NH2-NPs), generated through ultraviolet aging and photocatalytic processes, can lead to vascular damage. Baicalein is a flavonoid compound with anti-inflammatory properties that exerts a protective effect on blood vessels. However, whether baicalein can inhibit vascular damage induced by NH2-NPs remains to be investigated. In this study, cell viability assay, fluorescence staining observation, and western blot techniques were used to evaluate the mechanisms after NH2-NPs and baicalein exposure. The results showed that baicalein at concentrations of 12.5, 25, and 50 µM effectively inhibited the toxicity induced by NH2-NPs. Besides, baicalein reduced reactive oxygen species levels to 226.63 ± 25.65%, 168.13 ± 14.45%, and 124.70 ± 18.04% at 12.5, 25, and 50 µM, respectively. The results of Hoechst/propidium iodide (PI) staining showed that 50 µM baicalein reduced the PI-positive rate to 12.42 ± 1.16%. Additionally, co-incubation with baicalein significantly reduced the expression of proteins in the pyroptosis pathway, including NLRP3, Cleaved Caspase-1, ASC, and Gasdermin D, effectively inhibiting the activation of pyroptosis induced by NH2-NPs in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). This study elucidated the mechanism by which baicalein inhibited NH2-NPs-induced pyroptosis in HUVECs, providing a reference for the prevention of vascular injury and utilization of natural product resources.