Deciphering the Toxic Effects of Polystyrene Nanoparticle on Erythropoiesis at Single Cell Resolution. Deciphering the Toxic Effects of Polystyrene Nanoparticle on Erythropoiesis at Single Cell Resolution

The toxic effects of polystyrene nanoparticles on aquatic ecosystems have been predominantly studied, with a focus on oxidative stress and inflammatory responses. However, this study comprehensively examined the effects of polystyrene nanoparticles on the development of zebrafish embryos using single-cell RNA sequencing analysis, explicitly investigating their effects on erythropoiesis. In vivo experiments were conducted using zebrafish embryos to validate the single-cell RNA sequencing analysis. Exposure to polystyrene nanoparticles resulted in a decrease in the proportion of mature erythrocytes due to an increase in immature erythrocytes during the erythrocyte differentiation process. Additionally, heme synthesis was impaired, leading to a decrease in the proportion of erythrocytes. These findings indicated the toxic effects of polystyrene nanoparticles on hematopoiesis. Overall design: 120 hpf zebrafish embryos were pooled as a control group(wild type) and 20 nm polystyrene nanoparticles (PS20nm) exposed group for single-cell RNA sequencing.