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Gene-therapy Inspired Polycation Coating for Protection of DNA Origami Nanostructures

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Nanoplastics Alter DNA.

Maxim Varenicja¹, Oldamur Hollóczki¹

¹Department of Physical Chemistry, University of Debrecen, Egyetem tér 1, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary.

|October 9, 2025

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Positively charged plastics can alter DNA structure by binding to phosphate groups. This interaction shifts DNA from the B-DNA to the rarer A-DNA form, with potential toxicological implications.

Keywords:

DNA binding DNA conformation Molecular Dynamics Mutagenic effects Nanoplastics

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Area of Science:

Biochemistry
Materials Science
Toxicology

Background:

Plastics, particularly functionalized polystyrene, are ubiquitous environmental contaminants.
Understanding the interaction between plastics and biological molecules like DNA is crucial for assessing their environmental impact and toxicity.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the direct binding of functionalized polystyrene chains to DNA helices.
To determine the structural changes induced in DNA upon interaction with polystyrene.
To elucidate the role of functional groups and electrostatic interactions in this binding process.

Main Methods:

Molecular dynamics simulations of 100 ns duration were employed.
Analysis of geometric features of DNA in the presence of functionalized polystyrene chains.

Main Results:

Direct binding of functionalized polystyrene chains to DNA was observed.
Positively charged functional groups on polystyrene were essential for stable association with DNA via Coulombic interactions with phosphate moieties.
DNA structure shifted from the B-DNA form to the A-DNA form during simulations.

Conclusions:

Functionalized polystyrene can induce significant conformational changes in DNA.
The shift to the A-DNA form in the presence of plastic suggests a potential mechanism for the toxic effects of microplastics.