Cited by 30Microplastics and Plastic PollutionEnvironmental Toxicology and EcotoxicologyPharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental Impacts

Photoaged Nanopolystyrene Affects Neurotransmission to Induce Transgenerational Neurotoxicity in Caenorhabditis elegans

Chen, Haibo, Gu, Yulun, Tan, Shihui, Chen, Xiaoxia, Jiang, Yongqi, Guo, Hongzhi, Chen, Jinyu, Wang, Chen +3 more·2024·Environmental Science & Technology

Abstract

Nanopolystyrene (NPS), a frequently employed nanoplastic, is an emerging environmental contaminant known to cause neurotoxicity in various organisms. However, the potential for transgenerational neurotoxic effects, especially from photoaged NPS (P-NPS), remains underexplored. This study investigated the aging of virgin NPS (V-NPS) under a xenon lamp to simulate natural sunlight exposure, which altered the physicochemical characteristics of the NPS. The parental generation (P0) of Caenorhabditis elegans was exposed to environmental concentrations (0.1–100 μg/L) of V-NPS and P-NPS, with subsequent offspring (F1–F4 generations) cultured under NPS-free conditions. Exposure to 100 μg/L P-NPS resulted in more pronounced deterioration in locomotion behavior in the P0 generation compared to V-NPS; this deterioration persisted into the F1–F2 generations but returned to normal in the F3–F4 generations. Additionally, maternal exposure to P-NPS damaged dopaminergic, glutamatergic, and serotonergic neurons in subsequent generations. Correspondingly, there was a significant decrease in the levels of dopamine, glutamate, and serotonin, associated with reduced expression of neurotransmission-related genes dat-1, eat-4, and tph-1 in the P0 and F1–F2 generations. Further analysis showed that the effects of P-NPS on locomotion behavior were absent in subsequent generations of eat-4(ad572), tph-1(mg280), and dat-1(ok157) mutants, highlighting the pivotal roles of these genes in mediating P-NPS-induced transgenerational neurotoxicity. These findings emphasize the crucial role of neurotransmission in the transgenerational effects of P-NPS on locomotion behavior, providing new insights into the environmental risks associated with exposure to photoaged nanoplastics.

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Crossref · 10.1021/acs.est.4c02755

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Authors
Chen, H., Gu, Y., Tan, S., Chen, X., Jiang, Y., Guo, H., Chen, J., Wang, C., Chen, C., Li, H., & Yu, Y.
Affiliations
  • Shanghai University (CN)
  • Ministry of Ecology and Environment (CN)
Corresponding author
  • Li, Hui
  • Yu, Yunjiang
Venue
Environmental Science & Technology
Published
2024-05-07
Volume
58
Issue
20
Pages
8665-8674
ISSN
  • 0013-936X (ISSN-L)
  • 1520-5851
OpenAlex
W4396696678
Cited by
30
References
50
Citations by year
2026: 10 · 2025: 18 · 2024: 2
FWCI
2.99
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Environmental Science & Technology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2022M722030)
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (41931298, 42077401, 42125706)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Microplastics and Plastic Pollution
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Environmental Toxicology and Ecotoxicology
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Pharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental Impacts
Keywords
polystyrene nanoparticles, photoaging, nanoplastics, neurotransmission, Caenorhabditis elegans, locomotor activity, dopaminergic neurons, glutamatergic neurons, serotonergic neurons, dopamine, glutamate, serotonin, dat-1, tph-1, maternal exposure
MeSH terms
Animals, Locomotion, Synaptic Transmission, Caenorhabditis elegans

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