Yang Haohan, Kong Linghui, Chen Zhuoyu, Wu Jun
College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225127, China.
College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225127, China.
Aquat Toxicol. 2025 Jan;278:107177. doi: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2024.107177. Epub 2024 Nov 25.
Polystyrene nanoplastics (PS NPs) and acrylamide (ACR), both emerging contaminants, have been found to be related to neurotoxicity. However, the effects of PS NPs on ACR-induced neurodevelopmental toxicity remain unclear. In this study, anionic carboxyl polystyrene nanoplastics (PS NPs-COOH), cationic amino polystyrene nanoplastics (PS NPs-NH) and unmodified PS NPs were selected to investigate their interaction with ACR. A serious of the neurotoxicity biomarkers from individual to molecular level were evaluated to explore the specific mechanisms. The results indicated that the unmodified PS NPs had the most significant impact on embryonic development at low concentrations in combination with ACR. The toxicity of the other two functionalized PS NPs increased with concentration, exhibiting a clear dose-response relationship. Meanwhile, all three kinds of PS NPs significantly enhanced the impacts of ACR on the locomotion behavior of zebrafish larvae. Analysis of zebrafish nervous system development showed that PS NPs-COOH exhibit greater toxicity to the central nervous system. In contrast, PS NPs-NH had a more significant impact on the motor nervous system. Gene expression analysis revealed that ACR and PS NPs significantly affected the expression levels of neurodevelopmental related genes, including Neurog1, Elavl3, Gfap, Gap43, Mbpa, Shha. PS NPs modified with functional groups could induce corresponding neurotoxicity by affecting genes expression related to neuronal differentiation, motor neuron, and axonal development. Based on the comprehensive biomarker response index, the order of the impacts of NPs on the neurotoxicity of ACR was PS NPs-COOH > PS NPs-NH > PS NPs. In conclusion, this study provides new insights into the interactive biological effects of NPs and ACR on zebrafish embryo, contributing to a better understanding of their environmental risk to aquatic ecosystem.
聚苯乙烯纳米塑料（PS NPs）和丙烯酰胺（ACR）都是新出现的污染物，已被发现与神经毒性有关。然而，PS NPs对ACR诱导的神经发育毒性的影响仍不清楚。在本研究中，选择了阴离子羧基聚苯乙烯纳米塑料（PS NPs-COOH）、阳离子氨基聚苯乙烯纳米塑料（PS NPs-NH）和未改性的PS NPs来研究它们与ACR的相互作用。评估了一系列从个体到分子水平的神经毒性生物标志物，以探索具体机制。结果表明，在低浓度下，未改性的PS NPs与ACR联合对胚胎发育的影响最为显著。另外两种功能化PS NPs的毒性随浓度增加而增加，呈现出明显的剂量反应关系。同时，所有三种PS NPs都显著增强了ACR对斑马鱼幼体运动行为的影响。斑马鱼神经系统发育分析表明，PS NPs-COOH对中枢神经系统表现出更大的毒性。相比之下，PS NPs-NH对运动神经系统的影响更为显著。基因表达分析显示，ACR和PS NPs显著影响神经发育相关基因的表达水平，包括Neurog1、Elavl3、Gfap、Gap43、Mbpa、Shha。用官能团修饰的PS NPs可通过影响与神经元分化、运动神经元和轴突发育相关的基因表达来诱导相应的神经毒性。基于综合生物标志物反应指数，NPs对ACR神经毒性的影响顺序为PS NPs-COOH > PS NPs-NH > PS NPs。总之，本研究为NPs和ACR对斑马鱼胚胎的相互生物效应提供了新的见解，有助于更好地理解它们对水生生态系统的环境风险。
