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Origin matters – investigating the immunomodulatory effects of primary and secondary micro- and nanoplastics on human macrophages.
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This study compared the immunomodulatory effects of primary microplastics with secondary microplastics derived from environmental plastic fragmentation, testing responses in macrophages. Results showed that the origin of microplastic particles influences the immune response they trigger.
Micro- and nanoplastic particles (MNP) are recognized as pervasive environmental contaminants, prompting concerns over their potential health impacts. Research has concentrated mainly on primary MNP, with limited attention to the more abundant secondary MNP derived from plastic fragmentation. Macrophages play a critical role in MNP uptake and response but specific interactions between MNP properties and macrophage behaviour, particularly with secondary MNP, remain poorly understood. This study investigates the cytotoxic and immunomodulatory effects of primary and secondary MNP on human THP-1 macrophages after up to 24 hours of exposure to 1, 10 and 100 µg/ml. We assessed the impact of mechanically degraded secondary polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, and polyamide particles (PVC, PP; Results show concentration-, time-, and size-dependent uptake of primary PS. Secondary MNP induce lysosomal activity, indicating intralysosomal accumulation. Dose-dependent cytotoxic effects are found, characterized by reduced mitochondrial activity and increased lactate dehydrogenase leakage. Interestingly, secondary MNP fail to stimulate cytokine production (IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1β) and NF-κB activity in macrophages. Our study unveils the effects of secondary PVC, PP, and PA 6.6, contributing to a better understanding of the potential risks associated with human exposure to MNP. Macrophages do not exhibit a direct pro-inflammatory response at sub-cytotoxic concentrations of MNP. However, higher concentrations of secondary MNP induce cytotoxicity, potentially impacting immune function indirectly. Our findings highlight the importance of studying secondary PS in MNP-related health risks research. Future research should prioritize examining secondary and environmentally relevant MNP produced through milling and weathering processes to understand their altered properties and potential health effects. This study is supported by the EC Horizon 2020-project POLYRISK [Grant ID 964766] and the ZonMw/Health Holland project MOMENTUM [Grant ID 458001101]. Also see: https://micro2024.sciencesconf.org/559336/document
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Origin matters – investigating the immunomodulatory effects of primary and secondary micro- and nanoplastics on human macrophages.
AI summary Read the abstract
This study compared immune responses triggered by primary microplastics versus secondary microplastics derived from environmental weathering, using macrophage models. Secondary microplastics, which are more environmentally realistic, produced distinct immunomodulatory effects compared to primary particles.
The Immunotoxic Effects of Environmentally Relevant Micro- and Nanoplastics
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Researchers characterized the immunotoxic effects of over 20 types of micro- and nanoplastic particles on macrophages and dendritic cells, finding that physicochemical properties such as size, shape, polymer type, and surface oxidation strongly influence immune cell responses.
Relationship Between Particle Properties and Immunotoxicological Effects of Environmentally-Sourced Microplastics
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Researchers exposed human macrophages to environmentally collected and weathered microplastic particles from the North Pacific Gyre and French coast to assess immunotoxicity, finding that particle physicochemical properties including polymer type and surface chemistry correlated with different cytokine response profiles. Multi-dimensional analysis revealed that surface area and hydrophobicity were key predictors of macrophage immune activation.
Nanoplastics affect the inflammatory cytokine release by primary human monocytes and dendritic cells
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Researchers exposed primary human immune cells to nanoplastics of different shapes, sizes, and polymer types and measured their inflammatory responses. Irregular PVC fragments triggered the strongest release of inflammatory signaling molecules, and fragment-shaped particles consistently provoked more inflammation than spherical ones. The findings indicate that the type and shape of nanoplastics matter significantly for immune responses, and that studies using only smooth spherical particles may underestimate the real-world inflammatory potential of plastic pollution.
Top-down generated micro- and nanoplastics reduce macrophage viability without eliciting a pro-inflammatory response
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This study investigated whether top-down mechanically generated micro- and nanoplastics from physically shredded plastic affect macrophage viability and inflammation. The particles reduced macrophage viability in a dose-dependent manner but did not elicit a classical pro-inflammatory cytokine response.
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