Zhang Lan, Ma Yuyang, Wei Zhiliang, Wang Luyang
College of Food Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China.
School of Pharmacy, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, China.
Front Microbiol. 2024 Aug 29;15:1447046. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1447046. eCollection 2024.
Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been developed as treatment materials for various diseases and shown magnificent potential. By contrast to the broad toxicological studies on the single exposure (AuNPs), how the other health risks modulate the toxicological profile of AuNPs remains to be investigated. Plastics are among the most common health risks in daily life due to the broad utilization of plastic products. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to reveal the toxicological effects induced by co-exposure of gold nanorod (AuR) and polystyrene micro- and nano-plastics (hereinafter, referred to as AuRmPS and AuRnPS, respectively) in mice.
Systematic biochemical characterizations were performed to investigate the hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, neurotoxicity, inflammatory responses, alterations in gut microbiota induced by co-exposure, and to analyze the toxicological phenomena from the roles of reactive oxygen species and gut-organ axis.
It has been found that hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, neurotoxicity, and inflammation were exacerbated in AuRnPS and AuRmPS, and gut microbiota composition was more severely altered in AuRnPS exposure. These results suggest the necessity of reducing plastics exposure in AuNPs-based therapies. Moreover, protection against the nano-sized plastic particles holds higher priority.
These findings will facilitate the explorations of methods to reduce therapeutic toxicity and improve biosafety for specific treatments by referring to the orders of importance in protecting different organs.
金纳米颗粒（AuNPs）已被开发用作治疗各种疾病的材料，并显示出巨大的潜力。与对单次暴露（AuNPs）的广泛毒理学研究相比，其他健康风险如何调节AuNPs的毒理学特征仍有待研究。由于塑料制品的广泛使用，塑料是日常生活中最常见的健康风险之一。因此，在本研究中，我们旨在揭示金纳米棒（AuR）与聚苯乙烯微塑料和纳米塑料（以下分别称为AuRmPS和AuRnPS）共同暴露对小鼠诱导的毒理学效应。
进行系统的生化表征，以研究共同暴露诱导的肝毒性、肾毒性、神经毒性、炎症反应、肠道微生物群的变化，并从活性氧和肠-器官轴的作用分析毒理学现象。
发现AuRnPS和AuRmPS中肝毒性、肾毒性、神经毒性和炎症加剧，并且在AuRnPS暴露中肠道微生物群组成变化更严重。这些结果表明在基于AuNPs的治疗中减少塑料暴露的必要性。此外，对纳米尺寸塑料颗粒的防护具有更高的优先级。
这些发现将有助于通过参考保护不同器官的重要性顺序来探索降低治疗毒性和提高特定治疗生物安全性的方法。
