Zn2+ loading as a critical contributor to the circ_0008553-mediated oxidative stress and inflammation in response to PM2.5 exposures.

Inflammation is a major adverse outcome induced by inhaled particulate matter with a diameter of ≤ 2.5 µm (PM2.5), and a critical trigger of most PM2.5 exposure-associated diseases. However, the key molecular events regulating the PM2.5-induced airway inflammation are yet to be elucidated. Considering the critical role of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in regulating inflammation, we predicted 11 circRNAs that may be involved in the PM2.5-induced airway inflammation using three previously reported miRNAs through the starBase website. A novel circRNA circ_0008553 was identified to be responsible for the PM2.5-activated inflammatory response in human bronchial epithelial cells (16HBE) via inducing oxidative stress. Using a combinatorial model PM2.5 library, we found that the synergistic effect of the insoluble core and loaded Zn2+ ions at environmentally relevant concentrations was the major contributor to the upregulation of circ_0008553 and subsequent induction of oxidative stress and inflammation in response to PM2.5 exposures. Our findings provided new insight into the intervention of PM2.5-induced adverse outcomes.

Protein Corona-Mediated Extraction for Quantitative Analysis of Nanoplastics in Environmental Waters by Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry.

There is a growing concern about the effects of nanoplastics on biological safety and human health because of their global ubiquity in the environment. Methodologies for quantitative analysis of nanoplastics are important for the critical evaluation of their possible risks. Herein, a sensitive yet simple and environmentally friendly extraction approach mediated by protein corona is developed and coupled to pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) for nanoplastic determination in environmental waters. The developed methodology involved the formation of protein corona by addition of bovine serum albumin (BSA) to samples and protein precipitation via salting out. Then, the resulting extract was directly introduced to Py-GC/MS for nanoplastic mass quantification. Taking 50 nm polystyrene (PS) particles as a model, the highest extraction efficiency for nanoplastics was achieved under the extraction conditions of BSA concentration of 20 mg/L, equilibration time of 5 min, pH 3.0, 10% (w/v) NaCl, incubation temperature of 80 °C, and incubation period of 15 min. The extraction was confirmed to be mediated by the protein corona by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis of the extracted nanoplastics. In total, 1.92 and 2.82 µg/L PS nanoplastics were detected in river water and the influent of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), respectively. Furthermore, the feasibility of the present methodology was demonstrated by applying to extract PS and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) nanoplastics from real waters with recoveries of 72.1-98.9% at 14.2-50.4 µg/L spiked levels. Consequently, our method has provided new insights and possibilities for the investigation of nanoplastic pollution and its risk assessment in the environment.

Quantitative Analysis of Polystyrene and Poly(methyl methacrylate) Nanoplastics in Tissues of Aquatic Animals.

Micro- and nanoplastics unavoidably enter into organisms and humans as a result of widespread exposures through drinking waters, foods, and even inhalation. However, owing to the limited availability of quantitative analytical methods, the effect of nanoplastics inside animal bodies is poorly understood. Herein, we report a sensitive and robust method to determine the chemical composition, mass concentration, and size distribution of nanoplastics in biological matrices. This breakthrough is based on a novel procedure including alkaline digestion and protein precipitation to extract nanoplastics from tissues of aquatic animals, followed by quantitative analysis with pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The optimized procedure exhibited good reproducibility and high sensitivity with the respective detection limits of 0.03 µg/g for polystyrene (PS) nanoplastics and 0.09 µg/g poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) nanoplastics. This method also preserved the original morphology and size of nanoplastics. Furthermore, to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed method, 14 species of aquatic animals were collected, and PS nanoplastics in a concentration range of 0.093-0.785 µg/g were detected in three of these animals. Recovery rates of 73.0-89.1% were further obtained for PS and PMMA nanospheres when they were spiked into the tissues of Zebra snail and Corbicula fluminea at levels of 1.84-2.12 µg/g. Consequently, this method provides a powerful tool for tracking nanoplastics in animals.

Speciation Analysis of Ag2S and ZnS Nanoparticles at the ng/L Level in Environmental Waters by Cloud Point Extraction Coupled with LC-ICPMS.

Toxicity and transport of metal-based nanoparticles (M-NPs) in environmental waters strongly depend on their speciation. A detailed understanding of the composition and speciation of M-NPs is necessary in order to move this field forward. Unfortunately, there is a shortage of analytical methods for metal-sulfide nanoparticles (MS-NPs) in the environment. In this work, a cloud point extraction (CPE) method combined with liquid chromatography hyphenated to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LC-ICPMS) is developed for sensitive determination of Ag2S- and ZnS-NPs. Under the condition of 0.15% (w/v) of Triton X-114 (TX-114), pH 5, 20 mM NaNO3, incubation temperature of 45 °C, and time of 15 min, MS-NPs and non-MS-NPs were extracted into the surfactant-rich phase. With the sequent addition of 10 mM bis(p-sulfonatophenyl)phenylphosphane dehydrate dipotassium (BSPP) aqueous solution (100 µL) into the CPE-obtained extract, the non-MS-NPs were selectively dissociated into their ionic counterparts while maintaining the original size and shape of Ag2S- and ZnS-NPs. Interestingly, the micelle-mediated behavior suddenly disappeared with the addition of BSPP. Thus, the extract can be injected to LC-ICPMS for speciation analysis of trace Ag2S- and ZnS-NPs. This method exhibited excellent reproducibility (relative standard deviations < 4.9%), high sensitivity with the respective detection limits of 8 ng/L for Ag2S-NPs and 15 ng/L for ZnS-NPs, enabling recoveries of 81.3-96.6% for Ag2S-NPs and 83.9-93.5% for ZnS-NPs when they were spiked into three environmental water samples. Due to its potential applicability to low concentrations of Ag2S- and ZnS-NPs, this method is particularly convenient for monitoring the transformations of AgNPs and ZnO-NPs in the environment.

[Distribution of Heavy Metals and Their Corresponding Nanoparticles in Different Treatment Unit Processes in the Sewage Treatment Plant].

Total heavy metal concentration, heavy metal nanoparticle concentration, particle size, and the removal effect of different treatment unit processes on heavy metals and heavy metal nanoparticles were analyzed in this study. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and single particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SP-ICP-MS) were applied in nine treatment units performing continuous wastewater treatment processes in the Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport sewage treatment plant. Results showed that different treatment unit processes had different effects on the removal of different total heavy metal elements, with the effects on Fe being the most significant; Fe was mainly removed in the secondary sedimentation tank at a rate of 98.53%. The removal effects of different heavy metal nanoparticles varied in different treatment unit processes, with the effects of Ni, Pd, and Fe being the most significant. Heavy metal nanoparticles removal varied by treatment unit processes (aeration grit tank, secondary sedimentation tank, and high-efficiency sedimentation tank). The particle size distribution of heavy metal nanoparticles in different treatment unit processes was 23.28-147.83 nm, and different treatment unit processes did not have a significant impact on the particle size of each heavy metal nanoparticle. In addition, pH exhibited a significant negative correlation with Fe and Fe nanoparticles. Excluding Fe and Fe nanoparticles, other heavy metals and their nanoparticles were not significantly related; thus, different processing unit processes exhibited different removal mechanisms for heavy metals and their corresponding nanoparticles.

Electrostatic attraction of cationic pollutants by microplastics reduces their joint cytotoxicity.

Microplastic (MP) pollution causes global concerns regarding the consequential impacts on human health. In particular, MPs may act as vectors for various contaminants to induce adverse effects in human. In this work, the joint cytotoxicity of two different MPs co-exposed with diverse ionic pollutants was investigated in two cell lines from human digestive system: human gastric epithelium (GES-1) and colorectal mucosa (FHC) cell lines. The results indicated that the cytotoxicity of cationic pollutants was alleviated by MPs more significantly than that of anionic pollutants in both culture medium and river water. The electrostatic attraction between the negatively charged MPs and cations was a key factor in determining the ultimate joint toxicity. Our findings indicate that the joint cytotoxicity of MP-pollutant mixtures may be proactively reduced by modulating the surface charge of MPs.