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Nanoplastics increase in vitro oestrogenic activity of neurotherapeutic drugs
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Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics significantly enhance the estrogenic activity of neurotherapeutic drugs in vitro, suggesting that nanoplastic contamination of drinking water and food could increase hormonal exposures from pharmaceutical residues.
Environmental pollution with plastic nanoparticles (PNPs) has rendered hazard assessment of unintentional human exposure to neurotherapeutic drugs through contaminated water and food ever more complicated. Due to their small size, PNPs can easily enter different cell types and cross different biological barriers, while their high surface-to-volume ratio enables higher adsorption of chemicals. This is how PNPs take the role of a Trojan horse as they enhance bioaccumulation of many different pollutants. One of the health concerns related to water pollution with neurotherapeutic drugs is endocrine disruption, already evidenced for the anticonvulsant drug carbamazepine (Cbz) and antidepressant fluoxetine (Flx). Our study aimed to evaluate endocrine disrupting effects of Cbz and Flx in mixtures with polystyrene nanoparticles (PSNPs) using the in vitro luciferase assay to measure oestrogen receptor activity in T47D-KBluc cells treated with Cbz-PSNPs or Flx-PSNPs mixtures and compare it with the activities observed in cells treated with individual mixture components (Cbz, Flx, or PSNPs). Dose ranges used in the study were 0.1-10 mg/L, 1-100 µmol/L, and 0.1-10 µmol/L for PSNPs, Cbz, and Flx, respectively. Our findings show that none of the individual components activate oestrogen receptors, while the mixtures induce oestrogen receptor activity starting with 0.1 mg/L for PSNPs, 10 µmol/L for Cbz, and 0.5 µmol/L for Flx. This is the first study to evidence that PSNPs increase oestrogen receptor activity induced by neurotherapeutic drugs at their environmentally relevant concentrations and calls for urgent inclusion of complex mixtures in health hazard assessments to inform regulatory response.
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Polystyrene nanoplastics alter the cytotoxicity of human pharmaceuticals on marine fish cell lines
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Researchers exposed marine fish cell lines to polystyrene nanoplastics and found that while the nanoplastics alone were not directly toxic, they significantly altered the cytotoxicity of human pharmaceuticals, with one cell line proving more sensitive than the other, underscoring how nanoplastics can change the hazard profile of co-occurring chemical pollutants.
Polystyrene nanoplastics act as endocrine disruptors altering neurotransmitter levels and locomotor activity via estrogen receptor during early zebrafish development
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Researchers showed that polystyrene nanoplastics act as endocrine disruptors in developing zebrafish by activating estrogen receptor pathways, causing reduced dopamine neuron area, increased brain cell death, and impaired movement — effects that were reversed when the estrogen receptor was blocked.
Microplastics Alter the Distribution and Toxic Potential of Typical Pharmaceuticals in Aqueous Solutions: Mechanisms and Theory Calculations
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Researchers studied how polystyrene microplastics interact with common pharmaceutical drugs in water and found that the plastics can absorb these medications, altering their distribution and potentially increasing environmental toxicity. The strength of absorption varied depending on the chemical properties of each drug, with some binding much more readily to microplastics than others. The findings highlight that microplastics may act as carriers for pharmaceutical pollutants, complicating efforts to assess water contamination risks.
Estrogenic activity of plastic nanoparticle mixtures under in vitro settings
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This study investigated the endocrine disrupting effects of polyethylene, polystyrene, and polypropylene nanoparticles individually and in mixtures under in vitro conditions. Results provided science-based evidence of estrogenic activity from all three nanoparticle types, emphasizing the importance of assessing aggregate exposure to nanoplastic mixtures rather than individual polymers.
Maternal exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics causes brain abnormalities in progeny
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Researchers found that maternal exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics caused brain abnormalities in offspring, demonstrating that nanoplastics can cross maternal barriers and affect neurological development in progeny with implications for developmental toxicology.
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