Laganà A, Visalli G, Facciolà A, Celesti C, Iannazzo D, Di Pietro A. Uptake of Breathable Nano- and Micro-Sized Polystyrene Particles: Comparison of Virgin and Oxidised nPS/mPS in Human Alveolar Cells.
TOXICS 2023;
11:686. [PMID:
37624191 PMCID:
PMC10459673 DOI:
10.3390/toxics11080686]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Revised: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023]
Abstract
Airborne micro- and nanoplastics are widely spread and pose a risk to human health. The third polymer plastic most commonly produced and present in atmospheric fallout is polystyrene (PS). For these reasons and for a more realistic assessment of biological effects, we examined in-home oxidised (ox-, simulating photoaging) nPS/mPS (0.1 and 1 μm), comparing the effects with virgin ones (v-). On human alveolar cells (A549), we quantified the cellular uptake, using FITC-functionalised nPS/mPS, while cytotoxicity, changes in the acidic compartment, ROS production, mitochondrial function, and DNA damage were assessed to study the effects of internalised v- and ox-nPS/mPS. The results showed that the uptake was dose-dependent and very fast (1 h), since, at the lowest dose (1.25 µg/well), it was 20.8% and 21.8% of nPS and mPS, respectively. Compared to v-, significant ROS increases, DNA damage, and mitochondrial impairment were observed after exposure to ox-nPS/mPS. The enhancement of effects due to environmental aging processes highlighted the true potential impact on human health of these airborne pollutants.
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