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Polystyrene nanoplastics target lysosomes and affect lipid metabolism in RTgutGC and head kidney macrophages from Oncorhynchus mykiss
Summary
Researchers investigated the subcellular targets of polystyrene nanoplastics in rainbow trout intestinal cells and head kidney macrophages, finding that PS-NPs co-localized with lysosomes but not mitochondria and did not trigger reactive oxygen species production or alter oxidative metabolism. RNASeq analysis further revealed effects on lipid metabolism pathways, indicating that lysosomal targeting and lipid disruption are key mechanisms of nanoplastic toxicity in fish cells.
The presence of nanoplastics (NPs) in aquatic environments is widely recognized as a major threat as they can accumulate and affect living organisms. The interaction between NPs and the cellular machinery is not well characterized and scarce information is available. Aquatic organisms are highly exposed to NPs and fish can be particularly affected because these animals share an intimate relationship between gills and intestine and their water surroundings. In the current work, we focused on the interaction between NPs and intestinal cells and head kidney macrophages from rainbow trout to understand which are the cell organelles targeted by PS (polystyrene)-NPs and how this interaction impact on cell function. NPs possibly enter cells via endocytosis, phagocytosis, or can pass through the phospholipid membranes and other biological structures. In order to assess if the exposure of cells to PS-NPs was generating an oxidative response, we used two different fluorescent probes (H2DCFDA and DHE) to assess the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The results showed that under the evaluated conditions, the exposure of cells to PS-NPs do not trigger ROS production, which was further corroborated by the fact that the oxidative consumption ratio and extracellular acidification rate was also at control levels. Besides, confocal images did not show co-localisation of PS-NPs within mitochondria; nevertheless, co-localisation was found within lysosomes. RNASeq was also carried out in HKM exposed to PS-NPs, with data suggesting alterations in lipid metabolism and PPAR signalling pathways. Moreover, to assess if PS-NPs exposure were impacting the immune system, the expression of different target genes related with the immune function (il1β, tnfα, il6, il10, il12, cox2, mmp9 or ppars) were studied to determine which macrophage's phenotype was predominant. Results showed that even though neither HKM are M1 or M2 complete phenotype, they are more similar to M2 (M2-like macrophages). Also see: https://micro2022.sciencesconf.org/427378/document