Microplastics interaction with bisphenol A: Adsorption, desorption, and in vitro biological effects

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Toxicology
• Materials Science

Background:

• Microplastic (MP) pollution poses environmental and health risks, with MPs potentially adsorbing hazardous chemicals like Bisphenol A (BPA).
• Understanding MP-pollutant interactions is crucial for assessing ecological and human health impacts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the toxicity of pristine and functionalized MPs on various cell types.
• To quantify the adsorption and desorption dynamics of BPA on MPs.
• To evaluate the biological effects of BPA-sorbed MPs.

Main Methods:

• Exposure of preadipocytes, hepatocytes, neurons, and endothelial cells to pristine and carboxyl-functionalized polystyrene MPs (PS-MPs).
• Assessment of cell viability, lipid accumulation, and BPA adsorption/desorption using HPLC-MS/MS.
• Analysis of pristine PS-MPs and carboxyl-functionalized PS-MPs (COOH-MPs) with and without BPA.

Main Results:

• COOH-MPs induced toxicity in neurons and endothelial cells at high concentrations and altered adipocyte differentiation.
• COOH-MPs showed higher BPA adsorption (29%) and desorption (45%) compared to pristine MPs (23% adsorption, 13% desorption).
• No synergistic toxic effects were observed when cells were exposed to BPA-sorbed MPs.

Conclusions:

• MP surface chemistry, particularly oxidation, significantly impacts MP toxicity and their role as carriers for pollutants like BPA.
• Oxidized MPs are more effective at adsorbing and releasing BPA under physiological conditions.
• Assessing pollutant adsorption onto MPs is essential for understanding their role as environmental pollutant vectors.