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Toxicological effects of different particle sizes and types of nano-plastics (NPs) on human lung cells: implications for the health risk of airborne microplastic pollution
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Researchers exposed human A549 alveolar cells to polystyrene and polymethylmethacrylate nanoplastics of 30 and 50 nm and found that smaller size and higher concentration produced stronger cytotoxicity, oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis—with PS nanoparticles more toxic than PMMA—providing in vitro evidence of respiratory health risks from inhaled airborne nanoplastics.
Micro-plastics (MPs) especially inhalable nano-plastics (NPs) in the air pose significant emerging environmental pollution challenges, but the practical evidences of their potential impacts on human health through inhalation remain limited. Therefore, the toxicological effects of human lung cells exposed to different representative NPs were investigated. Utilizing in vitro cytotoxicity testing methods, we explored the effects of various particle types (polystyrene, PS; polymethylmethacrylate, PMMA), sizes (30, 50 nm), and concentrations of NPs on the A549 alveolar cells. The results indicated that finer sizes and elevated concentrations of NPs showed notable toxicological effects on cell activity, oxidative stress, inflammatory response, and apoptosis. The PS-NPs demonstrated stronger cytotoxicity than PMMA-NPs. Our experimental findings reveal that exposure to airborne NPs of different compositions induces measurable cytotoxic and stress-related responses in lung epithelial cells under submerged in vitro conditions, which may provide preliminary evidence relevant to respiratory health assessment.
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