The influence of digestive tract protein on cytotoxicity of polyvinyl chloride microplastics.
Sci Total Environ
; 945: 174023, 2024 Oct 01.
Article
de En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38885711
ABSTRACT
Microplastics in food and drinking water can enter the human body through oral exposure, posing potential health risks to the human health. Most studies on the toxic effects of microplastics have focused on aquatic organisms, but the effects of the human digestive environment on the physicochemical properties of microplastics and their potential toxicity during gastrointestinal digestion are often limited. In this study, we first studied the influence of interactions between digestive tract protein (α-amylase, pepsin, and trypsin) and microplastics on the activity and conformation of digestive enzymes, and the physicochemical properties of polyvinyl chloride microplastics (PVC-MPs). Subsequently, a simulated digestion assay was performed to determine the biotransformation of PVC-MPs in the digestive tract and the intestinal toxicity of PVC-MPs. The in vitro experiments showed that the protein structure and activity of digestive enzymes were changed after adsorption by microplastics. After digestion, the static contact angle of PVC-MPs was decreased, indicating that the hydrophilicity of the PVC-MPs increased, which will increase its mobility in organisms. Cell experiment showed that the altered physicochemical property of PVC-MPs after digestion process also affect its cytotoxicity, including cellular uptake, cell viability, cell membrane integrity, reactive oxygen species levels, and mitochondrial membrane potential. Transcriptome analyses further confirmed the enhanced biotoxic effect of PVC-MPs after digestion treatment. Therefore, the ecological risk of microplastics may be underestimated owing to the interactions of microplastics and digestive tract protein during biological ingestion.
Mots clés
Texte intégral:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Base de données:
MEDLINE
Sujet principal:
Poly(chlorure de vinyle)
/
Polluants chimiques de l'eau
/
Tube digestif
/
Microplastiques
Limites:
Humans
Langue:
En
Journal:
Sci Total Environ
/
Sci. total environ
/
Science of the total environment
Année:
2024
Type de document:
Article
Pays de publication:
Pays-Bas