Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA; Department of Dermatology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA.
Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA; Department of Dermatology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA.
Chemosphere. 2024 Oct;365:143338. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.143338. Epub 2024 Sep 13.
Environmental microplastics (MPs) are complex mixtures of plastic polymers and sorbed chemical pollutants with high degrees of heterogeneity, particularly in terms of particle size, morphology and degree of weathering. Currently, limitations exist in sampling sufficient amounts of environmental particles for laboratory studies to assess toxicity endpoints with statistical rigor and to examine chemical pollutant interactions. This study seeks to bridge this gap by investigating environmental plastic particle mimetics and pollutant-polymer interactions by mixing polymer particles with persistent organic pollutants (POPs) at set concentrations over time. Solutions containing combinations of polymers including polystyrene (PS), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polyamide (PA) and POPs including 2,3,7,8 -Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), bisphenol A (BPA), and atrazine, were stirred for up to 19 weeks and monitored using assays to test for aryl hydrocarbon (AhR) and estrogen receptor (ER) activity which are cell signaling pathways impacted by environmental pollutants. TCDD induced AhR activity decreased over time in the presence of PS in a surface area dependent manner. BPA and atrazine also exhibited AhR antagonist activity in the presence of TCDD. The addition of BPA slowed the loss of activity but atrazine did not, suggesting that polymer chemistry impacts interactions with POPs. We also observed potential differences in TCDD sorption with different plastic polymers and that higher concentrations of PS particles may inhibit BPA-induced estrogen receptor activation. These results emphasize the need for additional understanding of how POPs and polymer chemistry impact their interaction and toxicity.
环境微塑料（MPs）是由塑料聚合物和吸附化学污染物组成的复杂混合物，具有高度的异质性，尤其是在粒径、形态和风化程度方面。目前，在采样足够数量的环境颗粒进行实验室研究以严格评估毒性终点和研究化学污染物相互作用方面存在局限性。本研究旨在通过混合聚合物颗粒与持久性有机污染物（POPs），在设定的时间和浓度下，研究环境塑料颗粒模拟物和污染物-聚合物相互作用，从而弥补这一空白。研究中使用了包括聚苯乙烯（PS）、聚丙烯（PP）、聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯（PET）和聚酰胺（PA）在内的聚合物，以及包括 2,3,7,8-四氯二苯并对二恶英（TCDD）、双酚 A（BPA）和莠去津在内的 POPs，形成了一系列组合。将这些组合溶液搅拌长达 19 周，并通过测定芳香烃（AhR）和雌激素受体（ER）活性的试验进行监测，这两种活性通路均受环境污染物的影响。研究发现，在 PS 的存在下，TCDD 诱导的 AhR 活性随时间的推移呈表面积依赖性降低。BPA 和莠去津在 TCDD 存在下也表现出 AhR 拮抗剂活性。BPA 的加入减缓了活性的丧失，但莠去津没有，这表明聚合物化学会影响与 POPs 的相互作用。我们还观察到不同塑料聚合物对 TCDD 吸附的潜在差异，并且较高浓度的 PS 颗粒可能会抑制 BPA 诱导的雌激素受体激活。这些结果强调了需要进一步了解 POPs 和聚合物化学如何影响它们的相互作用和毒性。
