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Types of Toxins

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Quantifying Nanoplastic Toxicity Using Gold-Core Polystyrene Nanoparticles: In vivo Evaluation and Human Risk

Yingzi Cui1, Xiaohan Tong1, Jiawang Ding2

  • 1School of Basic Medical Sciences, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, Shandong, People's Republic of China.

International Journal of Nanomedicine
|January 5, 2026
PubMed
Summary

Gold-core polystyrene nanoplastics (AuPS-NPs) serve as a reliable proxy for polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NPs), revealing potential human health risks from environmental pollutant accumulation. This study establishes crucial toxicity thresholds for nanoplastics in human tissues.

Keywords:
human health risk assessmentpolystyrene nanoplasticstoxicodynamicstoxicokinetics

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Area of Science:

  • Environmental Science
  • Toxicology
  • Materials Science

Background:

  • Nanoplastics (NPs) are pervasive environmental pollutants with incompletely understood human health risks.
  • Establishing risk thresholds for NP accumulation in human tissues is critical for public health.
  • Polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NPs) are common, necessitating methods to assess their toxicity and bioaccumulation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To validate gold-core polystyrene nanoplastics (AuPS-NPs) as a quantifiable proxy for PS-NPs.
  • To evaluate the toxicity and bioaccumulation of NPs at environmentally relevant concentrations.
  • To extrapolate findings to assess potential human health implications.

Main Methods:

  • Synthesized and characterized AuPS-NPs using TEM and ICP-MS.
  • Assessed in vitro cytotoxicity, ROS generation, and mitochondrial depolarization in AGS and Caco-2 cells exposed to AuPS-NPs or PS-NPs.
  • Conducted a 98-day in vivo study in mice with AuPS-NPs, analyzing intestinal accumulation, body weight, organ indices, and various biomarkers. Developed a toxicokinetic-toxicodynamic (TK-TD) model.

Main Results:

  • AuPS-NPs and PS-NPs exhibited comparable concentration-dependent cytotoxicity in vitro.
  • Chronic AuPS-NP exposure in mice led to intestinal accumulation, reduced body weight, altered organ indices, and significant biomarker changes (IL-6, TNF-α, TG, T-CHO, ATP, LDH, MDA, SOD).
  • TK-TD modeling determined a human intestinal toxicity threshold of 9.529 × 10^5 particles/kg.

Conclusions:

  • AuPS-NPs effectively replicate PS-NPs toxicity, enabling quantitative risk assessment.
  • Chronic NP exposure can cause intestinal accumulation and systemic toxicity.
  • Regulatory thresholds are needed to mitigate nanoplastic risks to human health.