Sebastiano La Maestra, Mirko Benvenuti, Stefano Alberti, Linda Ferrea, Francesco D’Agostini
{"title":"UVB-Aged Microplastics and Cellular Damage: An in Vitro Study","authors":"Sebastiano La Maestra, Mirko Benvenuti, Stefano Alberti, Linda Ferrea, Francesco D’Agostini","doi":"10.1007/s00244-024-01073-x","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Plastics are synthetic organic compounds whose widespread use generates enormous waste. Different processes, such as mechanical abrasion, microbiological activity, and UVB irradiation, can fragment the plastic material and generate microplastics (MPs). MPs are ubiquitous, and various organisms, including humans, can ingest or inhale them, with potential adverse health effects. The differences between UV-aged and virgin particles were studied to evaluate the genotoxic damage and oxidative stress induced by polystyrene MPs with 1 and 5 µm sizes on the monocyte-like cell line (THP-1). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Ζ-potential measurements were used to characterise MP particles after UVB exposure. Cells exposed to MPs show a widespread change in the cellular environment with the generation of reactive oxidative species (ROS), as indicated by the increased malondialdehyde level. The occurrence of genotoxic damage is correlated to the smaller size and ageing state of the MPs. The biochemical and genomic alterations observed in this in vitro study suggest that MPs, ubiquitous pollutants, following natural degradation and oxidation processes can cause various adverse effects on the health of the exposed population, making it necessary to carry out further studies to better define the real risk.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8377,"journal":{"name":"Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.7000,"publicationDate":"2024-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11283437/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00244-024-01073-x","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Plastics are synthetic organic compounds whose widespread use generates enormous waste. Different processes, such as mechanical abrasion, microbiological activity, and UVB irradiation, can fragment the plastic material and generate microplastics (MPs). MPs are ubiquitous, and various organisms, including humans, can ingest or inhale them, with potential adverse health effects. The differences between UV-aged and virgin particles were studied to evaluate the genotoxic damage and oxidative stress induced by polystyrene MPs with 1 and 5 µm sizes on the monocyte-like cell line (THP-1). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Ζ-potential measurements were used to characterise MP particles after UVB exposure. Cells exposed to MPs show a widespread change in the cellular environment with the generation of reactive oxidative species (ROS), as indicated by the increased malondialdehyde level. The occurrence of genotoxic damage is correlated to the smaller size and ageing state of the MPs. The biochemical and genomic alterations observed in this in vitro study suggest that MPs, ubiquitous pollutants, following natural degradation and oxidation processes can cause various adverse effects on the health of the exposed population, making it necessary to carry out further studies to better define the real risk.
期刊介绍:
Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology provides a place for the publication of timely, detailed, and definitive scientific studies pertaining to the source, transport, fate and / or effects of contaminants in the environment. The journal will consider submissions dealing with new analytical and toxicological techniques that advance our understanding of the source, transport, fate and / or effects of contaminants in the environment. AECT will now consider mini-reviews (where length including references is less than 5,000 words), which highlight case studies, a geographic topic of interest, or a timely subject of debate. AECT will also consider Special Issues on subjects of broad interest. The journal strongly encourages authors to ensure that their submission places a strong emphasis on ecosystem processes; submissions limited to technical aspects of such areas as toxicity testing for single chemicals, wastewater effluent characterization, human occupation exposure, or agricultural phytotoxicity are unlikely to be considered.