Genotoxicity and oxidative stress induction by polystyrene nanoparticles in the colorectal cancer cell line HCT116

Abstract

The potential risks of environmental nanoparticles (NPs), in particular Polystyrene Nanoparticles (PNPs), is an emerging problem; specifically, the interaction of PNPs with intestinal cells has not been characterized so far. The mechanism by which polystyrene particles are transferred to humans has not yet been clarified, whether directly through ingestion from contaminated food. We evaluated the interaction between PNPs and colorectal adenocarcinoma cells (HCT116). Cells were exposed to different concentrations of PNPs, metabolic activity and the consequent cytotoxic potential were assessed through viability test; we evaluated the PNP genotoxic potential through the Cytokinesis-Block Micronucleus cytome (CBMN cyt) assay. Finally, we detected Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) production after NPs exposure and performed Western Blot analysis to analyze the enzymes (SOD1, SOD2, Catalase, Glutathione Peroxidase) involved in the cell detoxification process that comes into play during the cell-PNPs interaction. This work analyzes the cyto and genotoxicity of PNPs in the colorectal HCT116 cell line, in particular the potential damage from oxidative stress produced by PNPs inside the cells related to the consequent nuclear damage. Our results show moderate toxicity of PNPs both in terms of ROS production and DNA damage. Further studies will be needed on different cell lines to have a more complete picture of the impact of environmental pollution on human health in terms of PNPs cytotoxicity and genotoxicity.

Integrated analysis of the gut microbiome and metabolome in a mouse model of inflammation-induced colorectal tumors

“…Interestingly, environmental nanoparticles, especially polystyrene nanoparticles, are a potential risk for intestinal injury. It has been reported that PNP exposure can induce cytotoxic and genotoxic effects on cells by inducing oxidative stress related to nuclear damage (Vecchiotti et al, 2021). Homogentisic acid is a metabolite annotated to the styrene degradation pathway, and it has been proven to be cytotoxic for various cell lines (Jurič et al, 2022).…”

The Effects of Vernonia cinerea Less Extracts on Antioxidant Gene Expression in Colorectal Cancer Cells

“…of DNA damage, inhibition of apoptosis, promotion of proliferation, differentiation, and migration of malignant cells (Cao et al, 2021;Vecchiotti et al, 2021;Zińczuk et al, 2019). However, little is known about the diagnostic utility of oxidative stress/redox parameters in patients with colorectal cancer (Boakye et al, 2020).…”

The Biological Effects of Polystyrene Nanoplastics on Human Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes

“…Even the ingested MPs and NPs can be uptaken by gut enterocytes, accumulate in villi and release into the bloodstream, and reach other organs and tissues [ 13 ]. Recently the cytotoxic and genotoxic potential of different sizes of PSNPs has been studied in different cell lines and model organisms [ 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ]. Due to the distinction in biological processes during differentiation and maturation, different cell lines display a disparity in biological activity against similar exposure [ 19 ].…”

“…Although our understanding of the effects (such as viability, DNA damage, toxicity, etc.) of MPs and NPs exposure on different human cells is gradually increasing [ 16 , 17 , 20 , 21 , 22 ], there is very little information on the toxic potential of NPs in human lymphocytes [ 18 ]. As the particle sizes decrease to nano-size, its surface-to-volume ratio increases, which makes them biologically more reactive and increases intracellular permeability [ 12 , 17 , 20 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 ].…”