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Differentiation of cellular responses to particulate and soluble constituents in sunscreen products
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This study separated sunscreen products into their particle and dissolved components to understand which parts cause cell damage. Researchers found that dissolved chemical ingredients were the main drivers of overall toxicity, while solid particles, including microplastics and zinc oxide, primarily caused damage at the subcellular level. The work highlights that microplastic beads in sunscreens can alter how other ingredients are absorbed by cells.
Despite the growing awareness of potential human and environmental risks associated with sunscreens, identifying the specific constituents responsible for their potential toxicity is challenging. In this study, we applied three different types of sunscreens with contrasting compositions and compared the effects of their particulate and soluble fractions based on 15 cellular biomarkers of HaCaT cells. Multilinear regression analysis revealed that the internalized soluble fractions played a primary role in the overall cytotoxicity of sunscreen mixtures, which was primarily attributed to their biotransformation, generating metabolites with higher toxicity. The presence of plastic microspheres in sunscreens either inhibited the internalization of soluble fractions or led to their redistribution toward lysosomes. Conversely, subcellular toxicity resulting from the sunscreen mixture was predominantly influenced by particulates. Bio-transformable particulates such as ZnO dissolved in the organelles and induced higher subcellular toxicity compared to bioinert particulates such as microplastics. Subcellular biomarkers including lysosomal count, lysosomal size, mitochondrial count and mitochondrial shape emerged as the potential predictors of sunscreen presence. Our study provides important understanding of sunscreen toxicity by elucidating the differential impacts of particulate and soluble fractions in mixture contaminants.
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Photodegradation of Microplastics by ZnO Nanoparticles with Resulting Cellular and Subcellular Responses
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Researchers extracted both zinc oxide nanoparticles and microplastics from a commercial sunscreen and found that the zinc oxide accelerated the breakdown of microplastics under simulated sunlight. However, the degradation products proved toxic to human skin cells at certain concentrations, causing oxidative stress and DNA damage. This suggests that while sunscreen ingredients may break down microplastics, the resulting fragments could pose their own health risks.
How do the characteristics of polystyrene microplastics regulate their combined toxicity with nano ZnO? - Mechanism analysis based on Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model
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Microplastics don't just pollute on their own, this study found that when tiny plastic particles team up with zinc oxide nanoparticles (common in sunscreens and cosmetics), they become more toxic together than either one alone, damaging cells by causing oxidative stress and letting more zinc leak into cells. The type of surface chemistry on the plastic and its size both mattered: smaller particles and certain chemical coatings made the combo more dangerous, suggesting that as microplastics mix with other pollutants in our environment, their health risks could be worse than current safety testing, which usually looks at one pollutant at a time, might sugg
Photodegradation Controls of Potential Toxicity of Secondary Sunscreen-Derived Microplastics and Associated Leachates
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Researchers studied how sunlight breaks down microplastics from sunscreen products and whether this makes them more or less toxic. They found that sunlight aging caused chemical changes on the plastic surfaces and released harmful compounds into the water, increasing toxicity to aquatic organisms. This is relevant because sunscreen microplastics are commonly washed into oceans and lakes, where sun exposure could make them more dangerous over time.
Zinc oxide nanoparticles dissolution and toxicity enhancement by polystyrene microplastics under sunlight irradiation
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Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics dramatically increased the sunlight-induced dissolution of zinc oxide nanoparticles, enhancing the release of toxic zinc ions and reactive oxygen species in aquatic environments.
Prospects on the nano-plastic particles internalization and induction of cellular response in human keratinocytes
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Researchers isolated nano-sized plastic particles from commercial face scrubs and tested their effects on human skin cells (keratinocytes), finding that plastic nanoparticles adhered to cells and were taken up into them. This raises concerns about microplastic absorption through the skin from cosmetic products.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.