Preferred Lung Accumulation of Polystyrene Nanoplastics with Negative Charges

With
the increasing presence of nanoplastics (NPs) in the human
bloodstream, it is urgent to investigate their tissue accumulation
and potential health risks. This study examines the effects of the
size and surface charges of polystyrene (PS) NPs on lung accumulation.
Using magnetic separation, we identified the protein corona composition
on iron-core PS NPs, revealing the enrichment of vitronectin and fibrinogen.
The corona promotes integrin αIIbβ3 receptor-mediated uptake by lung endothelial cells, explaining that
both the corona composition and protein structure determine preferred
localization of negatively charged PS NPs in the lung. This study
uncovers the role of protein corona in NP uptake and the way NPs enter
the lung, emphasizing the need to consider interactions between nanoplastics
with varying surface characteristics and biological molecules in the
nanotoxicological field.