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Synergy between nanoplastics and benzo[a]pyrene promotes senescence by aggravating ferroptosis and impairing mitochondria integrity in Caenorhabditis elegans
Summary
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.