Yun Jang-Hyuk
College of Veterinary Medicine and Institute of Veterinary Science, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Republic of Korea.
Front Med (Lausanne). 2025 Jun 24;12:1587759. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1587759. eCollection 2025.
Polystyrene (PS) microplastics are among the most prevalent types of microplastics responsible for global pollution. Although numerous studies have investigated the effects of PS on various organs, such as the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, nervous system, and intestines, its impact on the eyes, particularly the retina, remains largely unexplored.
To assess the effects of PS on retinal pathology, cultured retinal microvascular endothelial cells, pericytes, astrocytes, and microglial cells were exposed to 2 μm PS particles. Cell viability (MTT assay), apoptosis (Annexin V/PI flow cytometry), protein expression (Western blotting), and angiogenesis-related behaviors (tube formation, migration, and permeability assays) were evaluated.
PS induced endothelial cell apoptosis by reducing the activity of AKT and ERK1/2, and induced pericyte apoptosis by reducing the activity of AKT. PS also impaired tube formation, migration, and proliferation by reducing AKT and ERK1/2 activity in retinal endothelial cells. In addition, PS induced pericyte apoptosis and increased endothelial permeability.
PS may worsen retinopathy by inducing endothelial cell and pericyte apoptosis and by increasing vascular leakage, although it does not promote angiogenesis.
聚苯乙烯（PS）微塑料是造成全球污染的最常见微塑料类型之一。尽管众多研究已探究了PS对心脏、肺、肝脏、肾脏、神经系统和肠道等各种器官的影响，但其对眼睛，尤其是视网膜的影响在很大程度上仍未得到探索。
为评估PS对视网膜病理的影响，将培养的视网膜微血管内皮细胞、周细胞、星形胶质细胞和小胶质细胞暴露于2μm的PS颗粒。评估细胞活力（MTT法）、凋亡（膜联蛋白V/碘化丙啶流式细胞术）、蛋白表达（蛋白质印迹法）以及血管生成相关行为（管腔形成、迁移和通透性测定）。
PS通过降低AKT和ERK1/2的活性诱导内皮细胞凋亡，并通过降低AKT的活性诱导周细胞凋亡。PS还通过降低视网膜内皮细胞中AKT和ERK1/2的活性损害管腔形成、迁移和增殖。此外，PS诱导周细胞凋亡并增加内皮细胞通透性。
PS可能通过诱导内皮细胞和周细胞凋亡以及增加血管渗漏来加重视网膜病变，尽管它不会促进血管生成。
