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Activation of Toll-like receptor 2 reveals microbial contamination beyond endotoxins on micro- and nanoplastics
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This study screened eight commonly used micro- and nanoplastic test materials and found that several were contaminated with microbial components, including Toll-like receptor 2 agonists, beyond standard endotoxin assays. The findings suggest that microbial contamination of test materials may be confounding toxicity results in MNP health research.
Current literature on health hazards associated with micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) is largely influenced by studies that insufficiently account for potential microbial contamination of their test materials. This may lead to misinterpretation of outcomes, as the test materials may be incorrectly considered pristine MNPs. The present study screened eight MNP test materials for microbial contaminants using Toll-like receptor (TLR) reporter cells for TLR2 and TLR4 and the commonly used Limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL) assay. Our results show that MNPs testing negative for endotoxins, based on the absence of TLR4 activation and negative LAL results, may still contain microbial ligands that selectively activate TLR2. Moreover, five of the eight MNP test materials contained microbial ligands capable of activating TLR2 and/or TLR4. Compared to the LAL assay, TLR4-based screening effectively detected endotoxin contamination. Overall, we found that the TLR reporter cell assay provides broader coverage than the LAL assay in detecting microbial ligands, which appear to be highly prevalent in MNP test materials.
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Researchers synthesize current evidence on microplastic toxicity, finding that MPs and their co-contaminants — including plasticizers, flame retardants, and heavy metals — induce oxidative stress, inflammation, endocrine disruption, and microbiome changes across organisms, while noting that inconsistent methods and limited chronic-exposure data remain key barriers to accurate human risk assessment.
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Potential Artifacts and Control Experiments in Toxicity Tests of Nanoplastic and Microplastic Particles
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This review highlighted potential measurement artifacts and the importance of proper control experiments in toxicity studies of nanoplastics and microplastics. The study cautions that antimicrobials, surfactants, and other additives present in commercial plastic particle dispersions may account for observed toxic effects rather than the particles themselves, emphasizing the need for rigorous experimental design in microplastic toxicology research.
A critical viewpoint on current issues, limitations, and future research needs on micro- and nanoplastic studies: From the detection to the toxicological assessment.
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This critical review examines the current methods for detecting and characterizing micro- and nanoplastics in various environmental samples, as well as reported toxic effects from in vivo and in vitro studies. The authors found that while substantial effort has been made to understand microplastic behavior, the scientific community is still far from a complete understanding of how these particles behave in biological systems. The review calls for improved standardized protocols and more studies focused on uptake kinetics, accumulation, and biodistribution.
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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.