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Polyethylene microplastics impede the innate immune response by disrupting the extracellular matrix and signaling

Haipeng Huang1,2, Jiaqi Hou3, Yilie Liao1

  • 1School of Life Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.

Iscience
|August 9, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Microplastics (MPs) accumulate in organs and suppress immune responses by disrupting the extracellular matrix (ECM). This MP-induced disruption of the ECM (MPDEM) impairs immune cell signaling and activation.

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Science
  • Toxicology
  • Immunology

Background:

  • Microplastics (MPs) are environmental contaminants known to accumulate in animal tissues.
  • While MPs are linked to the immune system, their precise impact on immune responses remains poorly understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effects of 5 µm microplastics on the innate immune response in mice.
  • To elucidate the mechanisms by which MPs affect immune cell function and signaling.

Main Methods:

  • Mice were exposed to 5 µm MPs and subsequently challenged with lipopolysaccharide.
  • Immune cell activation, serum immune factors, and immune signaling pathways in the liver and spleen were analyzed.
  • Proteomic analysis and tissue section imaging were employed to assess MP distribution and ECM integrity.

Main Results:

  • MP-treated mice showed reduced serum immune factors and immune cell activation during lipopolysaccharide challenge.
  • MPs were found to disrupt immune-related receptors and impair cell signal transduction in the liver and spleen.
  • Significant accumulation of MPs in the extracellular matrix (ECM) was observed, correlating with ECM dysfunction and suppressed immune receptors.

Conclusions:

  • Microplastic accumulation in the ECM inhibits cell signaling pathways, leading to suppressed immune responses.
  • The study proposes a novel mechanism of microplastic biotoxicity, termed MP disruption of ECM (MPDEM).
Keywords:
Cell biologyImmunologyMolecular biology

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