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Synergy between nanoplastics and benzo[a]pyrene promotes senescence by aggravating ferroptosis and impairing mitochondria integrity in Caenorhabditis elegans
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Using the tiny roundworm C. elegans, researchers found that combined exposure to nanoplastics and benzo[a]pyrene (a toxic chemical from combustion) at real-world concentrations significantly shortened lifespan and accelerated aging. The pollutant combination disrupted the body's antioxidant defenses, damaged mitochondria, and triggered ferroptosis, a type of cell death involving iron and fat damage. This is concerning because in the real world, microplastics often carry chemicals like this, and their combined effect may be worse than either pollutant alone.
Micro-nano plastics have been reported as important carriers of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) for long-distance migration in the environment. However, the combined toxicity from long-term chronic exposure beyond the vehicle-release mechanism remains elusive. In this study, we investigated the synergistic action of Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) and Polystyrene nanoparticles (PS) in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) as a combined exposure model with environmental concentrations. We found that the combined exposure to BaP and PS, as opposed to single exposures at low concentrations, significantly shortened the lifespan of C. elegans, leading to the occurrence of multiple senescence phenotypes. Multi-omics data indicated that the combined exposure to BaP and PS is associated with the disruption of glutathione homeostasis. Consequently, the accumulated reactive oxygen species (ROS) cannot be effectively cleared, which is highly correlated with mitochondrial dysfunction. Moreover, the increase in ROS promoted lipid peroxidation in C. elegans and downregulated Ferritin-1 (Ftn-1), resulting in ferroptosis and ultimately accelerating the aging process of C. elegans. Collectively, our study provides a new perspective to explain the long-term compound toxicity caused by BaP and PS at real-world exposure concentrations.
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Compound effect and mechanism of oxidative damage induced by nanoplastics and benzo [a] pyrene
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Researchers examined how polystyrene nanoplastics and a common environmental pollutant called benzo[a]pyrene work together to cause oxidative damage in earthworm cells. They found that the two contaminants had a synergistic toxic effect, with combined exposure producing significantly higher levels of cell-damaging reactive oxygen species than either pollutant alone. The study suggests that nanoplastics may enhance the harmful effects of other soil pollutants by altering how they interact with living cells.
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Researchers found that UV-aged microplastics combined with the flame retardant TBBPA caused greater harm to roundworms than either contaminant alone. The photoaged microplastics had increased capacity to absorb the chemical and enhanced its toxic effects, including reduced growth, impaired reproduction, and intestinal damage. The study suggests that weathered microplastics in the environment may amplify the dangers of co-occurring chemical pollutants.
Potential toxicity of nanopolystyrene on lifespan and aging process of nematode Caenorhabditis elegans
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Researchers chronically exposed C. elegans to nanopolystyrene across their aging lifespan and found that high concentrations shortened lifespan while lower concentrations still impaired locomotion and elevated intestinal reactive oxygen species in older animals, with nanoplastic exposure progressively suppressing immune genes, antioxidant defenses, and mitochondrial stress responses as worms aged.
Photoaged Polystyrene Microplastics Accelerate Aging in Caenorhabditis elegans via Ferroptosis-Linked Insulin Signaling Pathway
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Researchers found that photoaged polystyrene microplastics accelerated aging in the nematode C. elegans at environmentally relevant concentrations far more than fresh particles. The aged plastics generated more persistent free radicals and accumulated more readily in the organisms, triggering ferroptosis, a form of iron-dependent cell death, and disrupting insulin signaling pathways. The study suggests that environmental weathering makes microplastics substantially more harmful to biological aging processes.
Insights into the effects of aging on the combined toxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics and chlordane against Caenorhabditis elegans
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Researchers studied how environmental aging of polystyrene nanoplastics changes their combined toxicity with the pesticide chlordane in roundworms. They found that photo-aging altered the physical and chemical properties of the nanoplastics, which in turn modified how the two contaminants interacted and their joint toxic effects. The study highlights that the environmental weathering of plastic particles can significantly change how they interact with other pollutants.
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