TY - JOUR
T1 - Nanoplastics activate a TLR4/p38-mediated pro-inflammatory response in human intestinal and mouse microglia cells
AU - Antunes, Joana
AU - Sobral, Paula
AU - Martins, Marta
AU - Branco, Vasco
N1 - Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
PY - 2023/11
Y1 - 2023/11
N2 - The crescent presence of nanoplastics in the environment raises concerns regarding their potential impact on health. This study exposed human colon adenocarcinoma cells (HT29) and microglia cells (N9) to nanoplastics (25 nm, 50 nm, and 100 nm Polystyrene) to investigate their inflammatory responses, which are vital for body's defence. Although cytotoxicity remained generally low, HT29 cells exhibited a notable upregulation of p50 and p38 expression, concomitant with elevated TLR4 expression, in contrast with N9 cells that showed a less pronounced upregulation of these proteins. Additionally, nanoplastic exposure increased IL-1ß levels, partially attenuated by pre-exposure to TLR4 or p38 inhibitors. Intriguingly, N9 cells exposed to nanoplastics exhibited substantial increases in iNOS mRNA. This effect was entirely prevented by pre-exposure to TLR4 or p38 inhibitors, while TNF-α mRNA levels remained relatively stable. These findings underscore the potential of nanoplastics to activate inflammatory pathways, with response kinetics varying depending on the cell type.
AB - The crescent presence of nanoplastics in the environment raises concerns regarding their potential impact on health. This study exposed human colon adenocarcinoma cells (HT29) and microglia cells (N9) to nanoplastics (25 nm, 50 nm, and 100 nm Polystyrene) to investigate their inflammatory responses, which are vital for body's defence. Although cytotoxicity remained generally low, HT29 cells exhibited a notable upregulation of p50 and p38 expression, concomitant with elevated TLR4 expression, in contrast with N9 cells that showed a less pronounced upregulation of these proteins. Additionally, nanoplastic exposure increased IL-1ß levels, partially attenuated by pre-exposure to TLR4 or p38 inhibitors. Intriguingly, N9 cells exposed to nanoplastics exhibited substantial increases in iNOS mRNA. This effect was entirely prevented by pre-exposure to TLR4 or p38 inhibitors, while TNF-α mRNA levels remained relatively stable. These findings underscore the potential of nanoplastics to activate inflammatory pathways, with response kinetics varying depending on the cell type.
KW - Inflammation
KW - Intestine
KW - Microglia
KW - Nanoplastics
KW - TLR4
KW - p38
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85174709162&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.etap.2023.104298
DO - 10.1016/j.etap.2023.104298
M3 - Article
C2 - 37865352
AN - SCOPUS:85174709162
SN - 1382-6689
VL - 104
SP - 104298
JO - Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology
JF - Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology
M1 - 104298
ER -