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Effects of true to life polyethylene terephthalate and polycaprolactone nanoparticles on macrophages under a repeated exposure mode
Summary
Researchers compared how macrophages respond to repeated low-dose exposure to persistent PET nanoparticles versus biodegradable polycaprolactone nanoparticles. They found that cells adapted over repeated exposures, showing less dramatic changes than in single-dose experiments, but PET nanoparticles still induced oxidative stress, reduced phagocytic ability, and triggered pro-inflammatory responses. The study suggests that the biopersistence of conventional plastic nanoparticles like PET may pose more sustained immune system effects compared to biodegradable alternatives.
Micro and nanoplastics are pollutants which concentration in different biotopes increases continuously over time, which poses the question of their potential effects on health. In animals, these micro and nanoplastics are recognized as particulate materials and thus handled by macrophages,which are therefore a key cell type to study. Most studies have used an experimental scheme in which the cells of interest are exposed to a single dose of plastics, and where the readout of the studied parameters is made immediately after exposure. However, this classical experimental scheme does not take into account the impact of biopersistence, nor the potential cellular adaptation that may take place when cells are exposed repeatedly to a low dose of plastics. We thus used a repeated exposure scheme, in order to better take into account these phenomena. Within this frame, we compared the macrophages responses to a persistent nanoplastic, i.e. true-to-life polyethylene terephthalate nanoparticles and to a biodegradable nanoplastic, i.e. polycaprolactone, by a combination of proteomic and targeted experiments. Our results show that under this repeated exposure scheme, the proteome changes were of a lesser extent than under the acute exposure mode, indicating cell adaptation. However, polyethylene terephthalate nanoparticles induced oxidative stress, a slight depression of phagocytosis and a pro-inflammatory response, while polycaprolactone nanoparticles induced a depression of macrophages functions, especially regarding cytokines production (Interleukin 6, MCP-1, TNF alpha) in response to a bacterial challenge (represented by a lipopolysaccharide challenge), indicating harmful but different effects of both nanoplastics even in the repeated exposure scheme.