Assessing the Impact of Polyethylene Nano/Microplastic Exposure on Human Vaginal Keratinocytes.
Paola PontecorviSimona CeccarelliFabrizio CeceSimona CameroLavinia Vittoria LottiElena NiccolaiGiulia NanniniGiulia GeriniEleni AnastasiadouElena Sofia ScialisEnrico RomanoMary Anna VenneriAmedeo AmedeiAntonio AngeloniFrancesca MegiorniCinzia MarchesePublished in: International journal of molecular sciences (2023)
The global rise of single-use throw-away plastic products has elicited a massive increase in the nano/microplastics (N/MPLs) exposure burden in humans. Recently, it has been demonstrated that disposable period products may release N/MPLs with usage, which represents a potential threat to women's health which has not been scientifically addressed yet. By using polyethyl ene (PE) particles (200 nm to 9 μm), we showed that acute exposure to a high concentration of N/MPLs induced cell toxicity in vaginal keratinocytes after effective cellular uptake, as viability and apoptosis data suggest, along with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations. The internalised N/MPLs altered the expression of junctional and adherence proteins and the organisation of the actin cortex, influencing the level of genes involved in oxidative stress signalling pathways and that of miRNAs related to epithelial barrier function. When the exposure to PE N/MPLs was discontinued or became chronic, cells were able to recover from the negative effects on viability and differentiation/proliferation gene expression in a few days. However, in all cases, PE N/MPL exposure prompted a sustained alteration of DNA methyltransferase and DNA demethylase expression, which might impact epigenetic regulation processes, leading to accelerated cell ageing and inflammation, or the occurrence of malignant transformation.
Keyphrases
- oxidative stress
- induced apoptosis
- diabetic rats
- gene expression
- poor prognosis
- cell cycle arrest
- single cell
- drug induced
- circulating tumor
- electron microscopy
- healthcare
- cell therapy
- endothelial cells
- cell free
- endoplasmic reticulum stress
- single molecule
- public health
- cell death
- dna damage
- dna methylation
- risk assessment
- mental health
- stem cells
- liver failure
- polycystic ovary syndrome
- respiratory failure
- metabolic syndrome
- photodynamic therapy
- machine learning
- type diabetes
- signaling pathway
- electronic health record
- pregnant women
- adipose tissue
- health information
- social media
- induced pluripotent stem cells
- functional connectivity
- risk factors
- extracorporeal membrane oxygenation
- pregnancy outcomes
- deep learning
- mesenchymal stem cells