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Polystyrene nanoplastics and cadmium co-exposure aggravated cardiomyocyte damage in mice by regulating PANoptosis pathway
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Researchers gave mice low doses of polystyrene nanoplastics and cadmium (a toxic metal) together and found that the combination caused significantly worse heart damage than either substance alone. The damage involved a newly recognized form of cell death called PANoptosis, which combines multiple destructive pathways in heart cells. This suggests that real-world exposure to nanoplastics alongside common environmental pollutants like cadmium could compound risks to heart health.
Micro/nanoplastics (M/NPs) are the novel contaminants ubiquitous in the environment. Cadmium (Cd), a kind of heavy metal pollutant widely distributed, could potentially co-exist with PS-NPs in the environment. However, their combined effects on cardiomyocyte and its molecular mechanism in mammals remained ambiguous. Here, we examined whether PANoptosis, an emerging and complicated kind of programmed cell death, was involved in PS-NPs and Cd co-exposure-elicited cardiac injury. In this study, 60 male mice were orally subjected to environmentally relevant concentrations of PS-NPs (1 mg/kg) and/or CdCl (1.5 mg/kg) for 35 days. As we speculated, PS-NPs and Cd co-exposure affected the expression of pyroptosis(Caspase-1, Cleaved-Caspase-1, GSDMD, N-GSDMD, AIM2, Pyrin, NLRP3, IL-18, IL-1β)-, apoptosis(Caspase-3, Cleaved-Caspase-3, Caspase-8, Cleaved-Caspase-8, Caspase-7, BAX)- and necroptosis (t-RIPK3, p-RIPK3, t-RIPK1, p-RIPK1, t-MLKL, p-MLKL, ZBP1)-related genes and protein, resulting in growth restriction and damaged myocardial microstructure in mice. Notably, the combined effects on Cd and PS-NPs even predominantly aggravated the toxic damage. Intriguingly, we fortuitously discovered PS-NPs and/or Cd exposure facilitated linear ubiquitination of certain proteins in mice myocardium. In summation, this study shed light toward the effects of Cd and PS-NPs on cardiotoxicity, advanced the understanding of myocardial PANoptosis and provided a scientific foundation for further exploration of the combined toxicological effects of PS-NPs and heavy metals.
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Co-exposure to Cadmium and Polystyrene Nanoplastics Intensifies Renal Damage in Mice via the Activation of the PANoptosis Pathway
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Researchers exposed mice to cadmium and polystyrene nanoplastics individually and together, finding that co-exposure synergistically worsened kidney damage by activating PANoptosis — a coordinated cell death cascade integrating pyroptosis, apoptosis, and necroptosis — with the scaffold protein ASC markedly upregulated as a central driver.
Co-exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations of cadmium and polystyrene nanoplastics induced oxidative stress, ferroptosis and excessive mitophagy in mice kidney
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A mouse study found that combined exposure to cadmium (a toxic metal) and polystyrene nanoplastics caused more kidney damage than either pollutant alone. The combination triggered a harmful chain reaction involving oxidative stress, iron buildup, and excessive breakdown of cellular energy factories called mitochondria. This is significant because people are often exposed to both nanoplastics and heavy metals simultaneously, and their combined effects may be worse than expected.
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Scientists found that tiny plastic particles called nanoplastics can damage heart cells by disrupting their powerhouses (mitochondria) and reducing their ability to produce energy. When researchers exposed human heart cells and mice to these nanoplastics, they observed weakened heart function and signs of early heart damage. This research suggests that the growing amount of microscopic plastic pollution in our environment could pose previously unknown risks to heart health.
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