Protein Microplastic Coronation Complexes Trigger Proteome Changes in Brain-Derived Neuronal and Glial Cells

The extensive distribution of microplastics
(MPs) in
the environment
and their food chain contamination urgently necessitates a deeper
understanding of their molecular-level impact on physiological responses.
This study employed a mass spectrometry-based proteomics approach
to investigate the potential risks, mechanisms of associated cellular
processes, and biological reactions to preformed protein-MPs coronation
and intact MPs using brain-derived neuronal and glial cells. Our findings
indicate that MPs can adsorb proteins and form a heterogeneous corona
layer when interacting with biological fluids such as serum. Proteomics
analysis revealed that protein–MP coronation notably alters
protein expression levels compared to intact MPs, impacting core cellular
biological processes, including protein synthesis machinery and RNA
processing pathways, lipid metabolism, and nuclear–cytoplasmic
compartmentalization and transport. Notably, the heterogeneous protein
adsorption onto MP surfaces perturbs a wide range of cellular signaling
pathways through cellular recognition mechanisms, potentially contributing
to the challenge of MP accumulation in the brain.