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Poly(vinyl chloride) microplastics induce structural and functional alterations in myoglobin
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Researchers exposed myoglobin—an oxygen-binding protein in heart and skeletal muscle—to polyvinyl chloride microplastics and found significant structural and functional alterations, raising concerns about how PVC particles accumulating in tissues could disrupt cellular oxygen transport.
Microplastics (MPs) pollution represents a global concern for biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and public health. The poly(vinyl chloride) Microplastics (PVC-MPs) are one of the dominant pollutants in both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem. Myoglobin (Mb) is an important intracellular oxygen-binding protein found in mammals' hearts and skeletal muscles. Mb act as an oxygen transporter and storage material in muscle cells. Due to molecular inertness and excellent accessibility to organisms, PVC-MPs are degraded slowly in the atmosphere and can accumulate in the mammalian bloodstream, posing major health risks. In this study, under simulated physiological conditions, the interaction between the emerging pollutant PVC-MPs and Mb was analysed using multispectroscopic studies. From these studies, it has been found that PVC-MPs may bind to Mb during transportation and metabolic activities. Because of their tiny size, PVC-MPs may bind with Mb once they enter the bloodstream, altering the structure and physiological function of Mb. These results also suggest that electrostatic forces were the primary factor behind the interaction between PVC-MPs and Mb. Additionally, the results further showed that PVC-MPs significantly altered the microenvironment and secondary structure of Mb, which decreased the α-helix. This study clarifies the possible molecular toxicity of PVC-MPs in addition to provide crucial insight into the intermolecular interaction between PVC-MPs and Mb.
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Molecular Interaction of Functionalized Nanoplastics with Human Hemoglobin
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Scientists investigated how functionalized nanoplastic particles interact with human hemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen in blood. Using multiple spectroscopic techniques, they found that nanoplastics bind to hemoglobin and alter its structure, with amine-functionalized particles showing the strongest binding. The study suggests that nanoplastic exposure could potentially interfere with hemoglobin function, raising questions about the effects of plastic particles in the bloodstream.
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Researchers investigated the binding interaction between polyvinyl chloride microplastics and bovine serum albumin using multiple spectroscopic techniques, finding that PVC MPs bind to BSA through hydrophobic interactions and alter the protein's secondary structure, suggesting potential implications for protein function in biological systems.
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Scientists used multiple spectroscopic techniques to characterize how PVC microplastics interact with human serum albumin (the most abundant protein in blood), finding that PVC binds to albumin, alters its structure, and may affect the protein's ability to carry drugs and nutrients.
PVC nanoplastics impair cardiac function via lysosomal and mitochondrial dysfunction
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Researchers found that PVC nanoplastics damaged heart cells by disrupting two critical cellular structures: lysosomes (the cell's recycling system) and mitochondria (the cell's energy producers). The nanoplastics caused lysosomes to become leaky and mitochondria to malfunction, leading to heart cell injury and impaired cardiac function. This study is concerning because PVC is one of the most common plastics, and the findings suggest that nanoplastic exposure could contribute to heart disease.
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