We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Differences in toxicity induced by the various polymer types of nanoplastics on HepG2 cells
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers compared the toxicity of three common nanoplastic types on human liver cells and found that PET (used in bottles) and PVC were significantly more toxic than polystyrene, causing cell death through oxidative stress and a mitochondrial damage pathway. This is important because most toxicity studies have only tested polystyrene, potentially underestimating the health risks of the plastic types people actually encounter most in food and beverage packaging.
The problem of microplastics (MPs) contamination in food has gradually come to the fore. MPs can be transmitted through the food chain and accumulate within various organisms, ultimately posing a threat to human health. The concentration of nanoplastics (NPs) exposed to humans may be higher than that of MPs. For the first time, we studied the differences in toxicity, and potential toxic effects of different polymer types of NPs, namely, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and polystyrene (PS) on HepG2 cells. In this study, PET-NPs, PVC-NPs, and PS-NPs, which had similar particle size, surface charge, and shape, were prepared using nanoprecipitation and emulsion polymerization. The results of the CCK-8 assay showed that the PET-NPs and PVC-NPs induced a decrease in cell viability in a concentration-dependent manner, and their lowest concentrations causing significant cytotoxicity were 100 and 150 μg/mL, respectively. Moreover, the major cytotoxic effects of PET-NPs and PVC-NPs at high concentrations may be to induce an increase in intracellular ROS, which in turn induces cellular damage and other toxic effects. Notably, our study suggested that PET-NPs and PVC-NPs may induce apoptosis in HepG2 cells through the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. However, no relevant cytotoxicity, oxidative damage, and apoptotic toxic effects were detected in HepG2 cells with exposure to PS-NPs. Furthermore, the analysis of transcriptomics data suggested that PET-NPs and PVC-NPs could significantly inhibit the expression of DNA repair-related genes in the p53 signaling pathway. Compared to PS-NPs, the expression levels of lipid metabolism-related genes were down-regulated to a greater extent by PET-NPs and PVC-NPs. In conclusion, PET-NPs and PVC-NPs were able to induce higher cytotoxic effects than PS-NPs, in which the density and chemical structure of NPs of different polymer types may be the key factors causing the differences in toxicity.
More Papers Like This
Toxicity of Environmentally Relevant Micro- and Nanoplastic Exposure on Liver Cell Models
AI summary Read the abstract
Scientists tested how tiny plastic particles—shaped like the real-world microplastics found in food and water—affect liver cells in the lab. They found that the type of plastic mattered a lot: bits from PET (common in bottles) and polystyrene (used in foam containers) disrupted the cells' energy-producing machinery, while other plastic types didn't seem to cause harm. This suggests not all microplastics are equally risky to our health, but more research is needed to understand what makes certain plastics more dangerous than others.
Polymer identity determines nanoplastic toxicity: A toxicokinetic–toxicodynamic analysis
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers compared the toxicity of four nanoplastic polymer types in a freshwater protozoan model and found that polymer chemistry — not just intracellular dose — governs toxic potential, with PVC producing the strongest cellular damage while polystyrene, the most widely studied polymer, was actually the least potent.
Genotoxicity of polystyrene and polyethylene micro- and nanoparticles in human lung (A549) and liver (HepG2) cell lines
AI summary Read the abstract
Lab tests on human lung and liver cells exposed to tiny polystyrene and polyethylene plastic particles found modest reductions in cell survival and some DNA damage, more so in liver cells. Effects varied by plastic type and cell type, and were not clearly linked to oxidative stress.
In vitro toxicity of polyethylene terephthalate nanoplastics (PET-NPs) in human hepatocarcinoma (HepG2) cell line
AI summary Read the abstract
Exposure of HepG2 human liver cells to PET nanoplastics for 72 hours caused dose-dependent reductions in cell viability, oxidative stress at higher concentrations, and significant DNA damage via comet assay, with an IC50 of 616.7 µg/mL. These in vitro findings indicate that PET nanoplastics — shed from the world's most widely used plastic — have genotoxic and cytotoxic potential in human liver tissue, warranting further investigation of carcinogenic risk at environmentally relevant concentrations.
Influence of the polymer type on the impact of microplastic particles
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers compared the cellular effects of polystyrene, polyethylene, PVC, and PLA microparticles on murine macrophages and epithelial cells, assessing uptake and cytotoxicity. All polymer types were ingested by macrophages, but the degree of cytotoxicity varied by polymer composition.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.