Assessing the Impact of Polyethylene Nano/Microplastic Exposure on Human Vaginal Keratinocytes.
Int J Mol Sci
; 24(14)2023 Jul 12.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37511139
ABSTRACT
The global rise of single-use throw-away plastic products has elicited a massive increase in the nano/microplastics (N/MPLs) exposure burden in humans. Recently, it has been demonstrated that disposable period products may release N/MPLs with usage, which represents a potential threat to women's health which has not been scientifically addressed yet. By using polyethyl ene (PE) particles (200 nm to 9 µm), we showed that acute exposure to a high concentration of N/MPLs induced cell toxicity in vaginal keratinocytes after effective cellular uptake, as viability and apoptosis data suggest, along with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations. The internalised N/MPLs altered the expression of junctional and adherence proteins and the organisation of the actin cortex, influencing the level of genes involved in oxidative stress signalling pathways and that of miRNAs related to epithelial barrier function. When the exposure to PE N/MPLs was discontinued or became chronic, cells were able to recover from the negative effects on viability and differentiation/proliferation gene expression in a few days. However, in all cases, PE N/MPL exposure prompted a sustained alteration of DNA methyltransferase and DNA demethylase expression, which might impact epigenetic regulation processes, leading to accelerated cell ageing and inflammation, or the occurrence of malignant transformation.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Bases de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Contaminantes Químicos del Agua
/
Microplásticos
Límite:
Female
/
Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Int J Mol Sci
Año:
2023
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Italia