Carboxyl-modified polystyrene microplastics induces neurotoxicity by affecting dopamine, glutamate, serotonin, and GABA neurotransmission in Caenorhabditis elegans

作者：Yu, Yunjiang^*; Xie, Dongli; Yang, Yue; Tan, Shihui; Li, Hongyan; Dang, Yao; Xiang, Mingdeng; Chen, Haibo^*

来源：Journal of Hazardous Materials, 2023, 445: 130543.

DOI：10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.130543

• Carboxyl-modified microplastics
• Caenorhabditis elegans
• Neurotoxicity
• Neuron damage
• Neurotransmission

Microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous in various environmental media and have potential toxicity. However, the neurotoxicity of carboxyl-modified polystyrene microplastics (PS-COOH) and their mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, Caenorhabditis elegans was used as a model to examine the neurotoxicity of polystyrene microplastic (PS) and PS-COOH concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 100 mu g/L. Locomotion behavior, neuron development, neurotransmitter level, and neurotransmitter-related gene expression were selected as assessment endpoints. Exposure to low concentrations (1 mu g/L) of PS-COOH caused more severe neurotoxicity than exposure to pristine PS. In transgenic nematodes, exposure to PS-COOH at 10-100 mu g/L significantly increased the fluorescence in-tensity of dopaminergic, glutamatergic, serotonergic, and aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic neurons compared to that of the control. Further studies showed that exposure to 100 mu g/L PS-COOH can significantly affect the levels of glutamate, serotonin, dopamine, and GABA in nematodes. Likewise, in the present study, the expression of genes involved in neurotransmission was altered in worms. These results suggest that PS-COOH exerts neurotoxicity by affecting neurotransmission of dopamine, glutamate, serotonin, and GABA. This study provides new insights into the underlying mechanisms and potential risks associated with PS-COOH.

• 单位
  上海大学; 中国医科大学; 西安交通大学; 环境保护部华南环境科学研究所