KM Convergence Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon 34054, Republic of Korea; Korean Convergence Medical Science, University of Science Technology (UST), Daejeon 34113, Republic of Korea.
Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Kansas, Lawrence 66047, KS, USA.
Aquat Toxicol. 2024 Sep;274:107027. doi: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2024.107027. Epub 2024 Jul 23.
Plastics are one of the most pervasive materials on Earth, to which humans are exposed daily. Polystyrene (PS) is a common plastic packaging material. However, the impact of PS on human health remains poorly understood. Therefore, this study aimed to identify intestinal damage induced by PS nanoplastics (PS-NPs) in zebrafish larvae which have a high homology with humans. Four days post fertilization (dpf), zebrafish larvae were exposed to 0-, 10-, and 50-ppm PS-NPs for 48 h Initially, to ascertain if 100 nm PS-NPs could accumulate in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract of zebrafish larvae, the larvae were exposed to red fluorescence-labeled PS-NPs, and at 6 dpf, the larvae were examined using a fluorescence microscope. Analysis of the fluorescence intensity revealed that the GI tract of larvae exposed to 50-ppm exhibited a significantly stronger fluorescence intensity than the other groups. Nonfluorescent PS-NPs were then used in further studies. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirmed the spherical shape of the PS-NPs. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis revealed chemical alterations in the PS-NPs before and after exposure to larvae. The polydispersity index (PDI) value derived using a Zetasizer indicated a stable dispersion of PS-NPs in egg water. Whole-mount apoptotic signal analysis via TUNEL assay showed increased apoptosis in zebrafish larval intestines exposed to 50-ppm PS-NPs. Damage to the intestinal tissue was assessed by Alcian blue (AB) and hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. AB staining revealed increased mucin levels in the zebrafish larval intestines. Thin larval intestinal walls with a decrease in the density of intestinal epithelial cells were revealed by H&E staining. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) induced by PS-NPs were identified and analyzed. In conclusion, exposure to PS-NPs may damage the intestinal barrier of zebrafish larvae due to increased intestinal permeability, and the in vivo gene network may change in larvae exposed to PS-NPs.
塑料是地球上最普遍的材料之一，人类每天都会接触到。聚苯乙烯（PS）是一种常见的塑料包装材料。然而，PS 对人类健康的影响仍知之甚少。因此，本研究旨在鉴定 PS 纳米塑料（PS-NPs）对具有高度同源性的斑马鱼幼虫的肠道损伤。受精后 4 天（dpf），斑马鱼幼虫最初暴露于 0、10 和 50ppm PS-NPs 中 48 小时，以确定 100nm PS-NPs 是否可以在斑马鱼幼虫的胃肠道（GI）中积累，将幼虫暴露于红色荧光标记的 PS-NPs 中，在 6dpf 时，使用荧光显微镜检查幼虫。分析荧光强度表明，暴露于 50ppm 的幼虫的 GI 道显示出比其他组更强的荧光强度。然后使用非荧光 PS-NPs 进行进一步研究。扫描电子显微镜（SEM）证实 PS-NPs 呈球形。傅里叶变换红外光谱（FT-IR）分析显示 PS-NPs 在暴露于幼虫前后发生了化学变化。使用 Zetasizer 得出的多分散指数（PDI）值表明 PS-NPs 在卵水中的分散稳定。通过 TUNEL 测定法进行的全胚胎凋亡信号分析显示，暴露于 50ppm PS-NPs 的斑马鱼幼虫肠道中凋亡增加。通过阿尔辛蓝（AB）和苏木精和伊红（H&E）染色评估肠道组织损伤。AB 染色显示斑马鱼幼虫肠道中粘蛋白水平升高。H&E 染色显示薄的幼虫肠壁，肠上皮细胞密度降低。鉴定并分析了 PS-NPs 诱导的差异表达基因（DEGs）。总之，由于肠道通透性增加，PS-NPs 的暴露可能会损害斑马鱼幼虫的肠道屏障，并且暴露于 PS-NPs 的幼虫体内的基因网络可能会发生变化。
