We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Cellular internalization pathways of environmentally exposed microplastic particles: Phagocytosis or Macropinocytosis?
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers investigated the cellular internalization pathways -- phagocytosis versus macropinocytosis -- by which environmentally exposed microplastic particles enter cells, examining how the eco-corona of biomolecules that forms on particle surfaces in freshwater and saltwater affects cell uptake mechanisms.
Microplastic particles (MP) are ubiquitous contaminants in all environmental compartments. Once they are exposed to environmental media like freshwater or saltwater, they interact with biomolecules, leading to the formation of an eco-corona. The composition of the eco-corona was described as a mixture of amino acids, carbohydrates, lipids and proteins. The coating with an eco-corona affects the surface properties of MP, and consequently how they interact with cells. Proteins within the eco-corona may serve as a ligand driving the interaction of MP with cell membrane receptors. To date, it is not known, whether an eco-corona formed in different environmental media differ in its proteinaceous composition and therefore MP from different environments may differently interact with cells. Here, we show using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) that the eco-corona formed in freshwater and saltwater significantly differ in their protein composition. By using a microfluidic microscopy platform and optical tweezers, we observed no differences in the adhesion strength between cells and MP coated with different eco-coronas. However, the internalization probablility as well as the underlying internalization mechanisms significantly differed between MP coated with fresh- and salt water eco-coronas. We specifically inhibited actin-driven and receptor-mediated internalization processes using Cytochalasin-D, Amiloride, and Amantadine. We found that freshwater-incubated MPs seemed to be predominantly internalized by phagocytosis, while macropinocytosis is more important for the internalization of saltwater-incubated MPs. Overall, our findings show that the origin and composition of an eco-corona on the surface of MP are important factors for their cellular internalization, and therefore highlight their relevance for potentially adverse effects of environmentally relevant MP on cells and subsequently on organisms. Also see: https://micro2024.sciencesconf.org/559317/document
More Papers Like This
Cellular internalization pathways of environmentally exposed microplastic particles: Phagocytosis or macropinocytosis?
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers investigated the cellular internalization pathways of environmentally exposed microplastic particles, examining whether phagocytosis or macropinocytosis is the dominant uptake mechanism and how the eco-corona of adsorbed proteins on MP surfaces influences cell-particle interactions.
Cellular internalization pathways of environmentally exposed microplastic particles: Phagocytosis or Macropinocytosis?
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers investigated how eco-corona formation on environmentally exposed microplastic particles affects their cellular internalization pathways, examining whether particles coated with biomolecules from freshwater or saltwater are taken up by cells via phagocytosis or macropinocytosis, with findings showing that protein ligands in the eco-corona influence cell membrane receptor interactions and thus uptake mechanisms.
Cellular internalization pathways of environmentally exposed microplastic particles: Phagocytosis or macropinocytosis?
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers studied how microplastic particles coated with natural biomolecules from freshwater versus saltwater environments are taken up by cells. They found that the protein coatings formed in different water types were chemically distinct and led to different cellular uptake pathways: freshwater-coated particles entered cells mainly through phagocytosis, while saltwater-coated particles used macropinocytosis. The study reveals that where a microplastic particle has been in the environment fundamentally changes how it interacts with living cells.
How surface properties of pristine and environmentally exposed microplastics determine particle-cell-interactions
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers examined how surface properties of pristine versus environmentally exposed microplastic particles determine their interactions with cells, including attachment and internalization. The study found that physicochemical properties such as surface charge, functional groups, and eco-corona coatings are critical determinants of particle-cell interactions, underscoring the need for thorough particle characterization in cytotoxicity studies.
Environmental exposure enhances the internalization of microplastic particles into cells
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers discovered that microplastic particles exposed to natural environmental conditions are taken up by cells at significantly higher rates than pristine, lab-fresh plastic particles. The study suggests that environmental weathering changes the surface properties of microplastics in ways that make them more likely to be absorbed into living tissue, which has important implications for understanding real-world exposure.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.