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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 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.
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
More Papers Like This
Origin matters – investigating the immunomodulatory effects of primary and secondary micro- and nanoplastics on human macrophages.
AI summary Read the abstract
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.
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.
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.
Elucidating the effects of naturally weathered aged-polypropylene microplastics and newly procured polypropylene microplastics on raw 264.7 macrophages
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Researchers compared the effects of naturally weathered polypropylene microplastics and newly manufactured ones on immune cells called macrophages. They found that both types caused cell toxicity and disrupted normal cellular function, but the weathered particles had distinct effects due to their altered surface chemistry. The study suggests that aging and environmental weathering change how microplastics interact with biological systems.
Immune and inflammatory responses of human macrophages, dendritic cells, and T-cells in presence of micro- and nanoplastic of different types and sizes
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Scientists tested how different types and sizes of micro- and nanoplastics affect key human immune cells, including macrophages, dendritic cells, and T-cells. Smaller particles and those with amino surface modifications triggered the strongest immune responses, including increased inflammation markers and changes in immune cell activation. These findings suggest that inhaled or ingested micro- and nanoplastics could disrupt the human immune system, potentially contributing to chronic inflammation.
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