Journal
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE-NANO
Volume 8, Issue 2, Pages 502-513Publisher
ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY
DOI: 10.1039/d0en00944j
Keywords
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Funding
- Adolphe Merkle Foundation
- SPARK by the Swiss National Science Foundation [190287, 190440]
- Swiss National Science Foundation [200020_184635]
- Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF) [200020_184635] Funding Source: Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF)
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With the increasing prevalence of plastic micro- and nanoparticles in the environment, the risk of human exposure and uptake is elevated, yet little is known about their potential adverse effects. This study successfully created fluorescently labeled plastic nanoparticles of heterogeneous shapes, and found differences in their uptake and compatibility within different cell types.
As the prevalence of plastic micro- and nanoparticles in the environment, foods, and beverages continues to increase, the risk of human exposure to and uptake of such particles, notably via ingestion or inhalation, is also elevated. Despite this development, relatively little is known about the potential adverse effects of plastic particles on humans. The lack of relevant plastic nanoparticles for use in studies investigating their behavior and effect on human cells is a key hurdle that must be overcome prior to generating hazard data. We herein demonstrate the creation of fluorescent nanoparticles of the thermoplastic polymers poly(ethylene terephthalate), polypropylene, and polystyrene. The particles were produced by melt-processing and milling. The analysis of scanning electron microscopy images showed core diameters of less than 75 nm. Furthermore, the images revealed that the milled particles had highly heterogeneous shapes, as is often seen in environmental samples. The particles were exposed to relevant cell lines (i.e. Caco-2 intestinal epithelial cells and J774A.1 macrophages) to determine their uptake, assessed by confocal laser microscopy, and biocompatibility, assessed by measuring the release of lactate dehydrogenase. Exposure data showed no cytotoxicity at the concentrations utilized in this study. Interaction of the particles was found to be cell type dependent, with agglomeration on the apical surface and few intracellular particles in the intestinal epithelial cells in comparison to numerous internalized particles in the macrophages. In conclusion, the herein presented melt-processing and milling methods resulted in heterogeneously shaped plastic nanoparticles with a fluorescence label allowing their behavior within a complex biological environment to be studied.
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