Cheng Yanping, Yang Sheng, Yin Lihong, Pu Yuepu, Liang Geyu
Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine Engineering, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210009, PR China.
Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2023 Jan 1;249:114385. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2022.114385. Epub 2022 Dec 9.
Microplastics and Nanoplastics (MNPLs) pollution has been recognized as the important environmental pollution caused by human activities in addition to global warming, ozone layer depletion and ocean acidification. Most of the current studies have focused on the toxic effects caused by plastics and have not actively investigated the mechanisms causing cell death, especially at the subcellular level. The main content of this paper focuses on two aspects, one is a review of the current status of MNPLs contamination and recent advances in toxicological studies, which highlights the possible concentration levels of MNPLs in the environment and the internal exposure of humans. It is also proposed to pay attention to the compound toxicity of MNPLs as carriers of other environmental pollutants and pathogenic factors. Secondly, subcellular toxicity is discussed and the modes of entry and intracellular distribution of smaller-size MNPLs are analyzed, with particular emphasis on the importance of organelle damage to elucidate the mechanism of toxicity. Importantly, MNPLs are a new type of environmental pollutant and researchers need to focus not only on their toxicity, but also work with governments to develop measures to reduce plastic emissions, optimize degradation and control plastic aggression against organisms, especially humans, from multiple perspectives.
微塑料和纳米塑料(MNPLs)污染已被公认为是除全球变暖、臭氧层损耗和海洋酸化之外由人类活动造成的重要环境污染。当前大多数研究都集中在塑料所导致的毒性效应上,并未积极探究引起细胞死亡的机制,尤其是在亚细胞水平上。本文的主要内容集中在两个方面,一是对MNPLs污染现状及毒理学研究最新进展的综述,突出了MNPLs在环境中的可能浓度水平以及人类的内暴露情况。还提出要关注MNPLs作为其他环境污染物和致病因子载体的复合毒性。其次,讨论了亚细胞毒性,分析了较小尺寸MNPLs的进入方式和细胞内分布,特别强调细胞器损伤对阐明毒性机制的重要性。重要的是,MNPLs是一种新型环境污染物,研究人员不仅要关注其毒性,还需要与政府合作,从多个角度制定减少塑料排放、优化降解以及控制塑料对生物体尤其是人类侵害的措施。