Bioavailability and biodistribution of differently charged polystyrene nanoparticles upon oral exposure in rats

Abstract

The likelihood of oral exposure to nanoparticles (NPs) is increasing, and it is necessary to evaluate the oral bioavailability of NPs. In vitro approaches could help reducing animal studies, but validation against in vivo studies is essential. Previously, we assessed the translocation of 50 nm polystyrene NPs of different charges (neutral, positive and negative) using a Caco-2/HT29-MTX in vitro intestinal translocation model. The NPs translocated in a surface charge-dependent manner. The present study aimed to validate this in vitro intestinal model by an in vivo study. For this, rats were orally exposed to a single dose of these polystyrene NPs and the uptake in organs was determined. A negatively charged NP was taken up more than other NPs, with the highest amounts in kidney (37.4 µg/g tissue), heart (52.8 µg/g tissue), stomach wall (98.3 µg/g tissue) and small intestinal wall (94.4 µg/g tissue). This partly confirms our in vitro findings, where the same NPs translocated to the highest extent. The estimated bioavailability of different types of NPs ranged from 0.2 to 1.7 % in vivo, which was much lower than in vitro (1.6–12.3 %). Therefore, the integrated in vitro model cannot be used for a direct prediction of the bioavailability of orally administered NPs. However, the model can be used for prioritizing NPs before further in vivo testing for risk assessment.

Physiological stress response of the Wistar albino rats orally exposed to polystyrene nanoparticles

“…Some studies in rats have reported increased creatinine concentrations as a consequence of kidney damage compared with control subjects [57]. It is somewhat surprising that translocation of uorescent polystyrene nanoparticles from gastrointestinal tract to kidney has been previously reported in rats [58], and also possibly in our work. Increased levels of creatinine have also been reported in common carp (Cyprinus carpio) exposed to sub-lethal concentrations of microplastic and/or paraquat [34].…”

Impact of copper oxide nanomaterials on differentiated and undifferentiated Caco-2 intestinal epithelial cells; assessment of cytotoxicity, barrier integrity, cytokine production and nanomaterial penetration

“…Translocation of NMs (polystyrene) across the intestinal barrier has been observed in vivo [ 71 ], however NM penetration (excluding nanocarriers) across the intestinal barrier has not been widely studied in vitro, despite the extensive use of the differentiated Caco-2 model to study the translocation of pharmaceuticals and pathogens [ 54 , 55 ]. Translocation across the intestinal barrier determines the bioavailability of NMs after oral exposure and could be affected by NMs physico-chemical properties including size, charge, time and the experimental set up (e.g.…”

Current Insights into Monitoring, Bioaccumulation, and Potential Health Effects of Microplastics Present in the Food Chain

“…An in vivo study in rats evaluating the biodistribution of 50 nm PS NPs after a single dose of 125 mg kg −1 bw through oral gavage has shown distribution of the NPs to various organs. The bioavailability was estimated in this case to be between 0.2 and 1.7% depending on the charge of the particles [50]. However, data on MPs are limited and both the EFSA and SAPEA reports stated that the uptake kinetics and distribution of MPs in human tissues are largely unknown [9,16].…”