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Ingested microplastics (MPs) can accumulate throughout whole body, which may induce the dysfunction of immune system. However, it remains unclear how MP exposure affects innate immune responses at the cellular level. We found that mouse neutrophils strongly bind and then engulf polystyrene MPs. This interaction leads to proinflammatory state of neutrophils and eventually results in apoptotic cell death through toll-like receptor signaling pathway in a bacteria-recognition mimetic manner. Moreover, our data verified that orally administered polystyrene MPs reach various organs in mice, where they are interacted with and endocytosed by neutrophils. We confirmed that human neutrophils also strongly bind and internalize polystyrene MPs. Additionally, RNA sequencing analysis of polystyrene MPs-exposed human neutrophils showed the upregulation of cell death-related function. Therefore, the accumulated MPs may exacerbate inflammatory immune response by disrupting neutrophil function. These results provide novel insight into the adverse responses of neutrophils induced by MP exposure.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.136100 | DOI Listing |
Aquat Toxicol
September 2025
State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Health Risk Assessment, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Guangzhou 510655, China. Electronic address:
Microplastics (MPs) have emerged as ubiquitous environmental contaminants, while thallium (Tl), a highly toxic metalloid, is gaining attention as a novel pollutant due to its increasing release from electronic waste and mining activities. These pollutants frequently coexist in aquatic environments; however, their combined effects at environmentally relevant concentrations remain poorly understood. In this study, the adsorption behavior and joint neurotoxicity of polystyrene (PS) microplastics and Tl were systematically evaluated using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Hazard Mater
August 2025
Agro-Environmental Protection Institute, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Tianjin 300191, China. Electronic address:
Microplastics (MPs) and heavy metals (HMs), well-known environmental pollutants, have attracted widespread attention owing to their increasing threats. However, the interactions of MPs and chromium (Cr) at the microscale remain poorly understood, and the effects of environmental transformation on their toxicity remain controversial. The influences of light irradiation on their conversion were investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnal Chem
September 2025
Chemical Sciences Division, Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899-1070, United States.
In response to the growing concern of microplastics (1 μm to 5 mm) accumulation affecting human health, the development of analytical methods continues to be critical for the detection and characterization of microplastic particles. In this context, pursuing exceptional particle detection capability down to practical low levels and rapid analyses with high sample throughput makes single particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (spICP-MS) very attractive for microplastics analysis. Existing spICP-MS-based studies have routinely shown limitations in the accurate sizing and quantification of particle number concentration through targeting carbon content, with reported size limits of detection in the range of 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Hazard Mater
September 2025
State Key Laboratory of Regional and Urban Ecology, Ningbo Observation and Research Station, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, PR China; Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Pollution Control for Port-Petrochemical Industry, CAS Haixi Industrial Technology Innovation
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are critical mediators of soil biogeochemical processes. While the production of ROS with biochar (BC) in the rhizosphere has not been explored. We demonstrate that BC and Fe-modified biochar (FeBC), prepared at 400°C and 600°C, influence ROS generation in paddy soil containing biodegradable (polybutylene succinate: PBS) and conventional (polystyrene) microplastics (MPs).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Total Environ
September 2025
Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM), Kozhikode 673571, India.
Microplastics (MPs) contamination in urban groundwater is an emerging environmental and public health threat, particularly in regions relying on open wells for drinking water. This study examines the occurrence, characteristics, ecological risks and sources of MP contamination across 120 open wells in Kozhikode Municipal Corporation, Kerala, India. MPs were detected in 73.
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