Journal Article

Exposure to high dose of polystyrene nanoplastics causes trophoblast cell apoptosis and induces miscarriage

Xu, Zhongyan, Chen, Weina, Wang, Manli, Zhao, Jingsong, Wang, Rong, Zheng, Zhaodian, Zhang, Huidong, Wan, Shukun, Wang, Xiaoqing, Mi, Chenyang

2024

Overview

Background With rapid increase in the global use of various plastics, microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) pollution and their adverse health effects have attracted global attention. MPs have been detected out in human body and both MPs and NPs showed female reproductive toxicological effects in animal models. Miscarriage (abnormal early embryo loss), accounting for 15-25% pregnant women worldwide, greatly harms human reproduction. However, the adverse effects of NPs on miscarriage have never been explored. Results In this study, we identified that polystyrene (PS) plastics particles were present in women villous tissues. Their levels were higher in villous tissues of unexplained recurrent miscarriage (RM) patients vs. healthy control (HC) group. Furthermore, mouse assays further confirmed that exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NPs, 50 nm in diameter, 50 or 100 mg/kg) indeed induced miscarriage. In mechanism, PS-NPs exposure (50, 100, 150, or 200 µg/mL) increased oxidative stress, decreased mitochondrial membrane potential, and increased apoptosis in human trophoblast cells by activating Bcl-2/Cleaved-caspase-2/Cleaved-caspase-3 signaling through mitochondrial pathway. The alteration in this signaling was consistent in placental tissues of PS-NPs-exposed mouse model and in villous tissues of unexplained RM patients. Supplement with Bcl-2 could efficiently suppress apoptosis in PS-NPs-exposed trophoblast cells and reduce apoptosis and alleviate miscarriage in PS-NPs-exposed pregnant mouse model. Conclusions Exposure to PS-NPs activated Bcl-2/Cleaved-caspase-2/Cleaved-caspase-3, leading to excessive apoptosis in human trophoblast cells and in mice placental tissues, further inducing miscarriage. Graphical Abstract

• Publisher: BioMed Central,BioMed Central Ltd,Springer Nature B.V,BMC
• Subject: Animal models / Apoptosis / Bcl-2 protein / Biomedical and Life Sciences / Biomedicine / Caspase-2 / Caspase-3 / Causes of / Cell culture / Environmental aspects / Environmental Health / Exposure / Females / Flow cytometry / Health aspects / Health risks / Human reproduction / Inflammation / Lungs / Membrane potential / Microplastics / Miscarriage / Nanotechnology / Nurse practitioners / Ovaries / Oxidative stress / Penicillin / Pharmacology/Toxicology / Placenta / Plastic pollution / Pneumology/Respiratory System / Political activity / Political aspects / Polyethylene terephthalate / Polystyrene / Polystyrene nanoplastics / Polystyrene resins / Pregnant women / Public Health / Risk factors / Tissues / Toxicity / Transmission electron microscopy / Trophoblast / Womens health