Giordano Maria Elena, Lionetto Francesca, Lionetto Maria Giulia
Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy.
Department of Engineering for Innovation, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy.
Front Physiol. 2025 Jun 9;16:1580682. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2025.1580682. eCollection 2025.
Plastic pollution has become a major environmental and public health issue due to rising global production. Nanoplastics (NPs) are especially concerning due to their widespread presence and potential health risks. This study aims to determine the impact of the exposure to polyethylene terephthalate (PET) NPs on fibroblast cells using the murine NIH-3T3 cells as experimental model. This is a relevant cellular model for several biological fields of application, including cell migration in wound healing and tissue regeneration. The PET NPs used represented an environmentally realistic PET NPs model since they were produced by a fast top down approach in a process close to the mechanical abrasion of microplastics occurring in the environment. They were characterized by an intrinsic autofluorescence which enables their use in studies of NPs interactions with biological systems without the need for additional fluorescent dyes. Additionally, the Hansen solubility parameters (HSP) of the PET NPs and the culture medium were determined to better understand their interaction. PET NPs were internalized by fibroblasts in a dose-dependent manner, localizing in the cytoplasm. While they caused only a slight reduction in cell viability (within 20% inhibition at 10-100 μg/mL) after 24 h exposure, they significantly impaired fibroblast migration, as demonstrated by the scratch assay, indicating possible interference in tissue repair. The exposure of the cells to PET NPs induced a significant dose-dependent ROS increase suggesting the induction of intracellular oxidative stress as possible mechanisms underlying the observed migration impairment. These findings highlight the potential risks of PET NPs to fibroblasts, emphasizing the need for further research into their impact on cellular functions and mechanisms.
由于全球产量不断上升，塑料污染已成为一个重大的环境和公共卫生问题。纳米塑料（NPs）因其广泛存在和潜在的健康风险而备受关注。本研究旨在以小鼠NIH-3T3细胞为实验模型，确定暴露于聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯（PET）纳米塑料对成纤维细胞的影响。这是一个适用于多个生物应用领域的相关细胞模型，包括伤口愈合和组织再生中的细胞迁移。所使用的PET纳米塑料代表了一种符合环境实际情况的PET纳米塑料模型，因为它们是通过快速自上而下的方法生产的，该过程类似于环境中微塑料的机械磨损。它们具有内在的自发荧光特性，这使得它们在研究纳米塑料与生物系统的相互作用时无需额外的荧光染料。此外，还测定了PET纳米塑料和培养基的汉森溶解度参数（HSP），以更好地了解它们之间的相互作用。PET纳米塑料以剂量依赖的方式被成纤维细胞内化，定位于细胞质中。虽然在暴露24小时后它们仅导致细胞活力略有下降（在10-100μg/mL时抑制率在20%以内），但划痕试验表明它们显著损害了成纤维细胞的迁移，这表明可能对组织修复产生干扰。细胞暴露于PET纳米塑料会导致活性氧显著剂量依赖性增加，这表明诱导细胞内氧化应激可能是观察到的迁移受损的潜在机制。这些发现突出了PET纳米塑料对成纤维细胞的潜在风险，强调了进一步研究其对细胞功能和机制影响的必要性。
