In Vitro Toxicity of Polyethylene Terephthalate Nanoplastics (Pet-Nps) in Human Hepatocarcinoma (Hepg2) Cell Line Publisher



Manoochehri Z¹ ; Etebari M² ; Pannetier P³ ; Ebrahimpour K^{1, 4} Show Affiliations
Source: Toxicology and Environmental Health Sciences Published:2024

Abstract

Objective: Nanoplastics (NPs) are consider as emerging persistent environmental pollutants. Widespread distribution of these nanoparticles is a global problem. However, their toxic effects in mammalian tissues and cells remain mainly unknown. This study aims to investigate the cytotoxicity of PET nanoplastics (PET-NPs) in the human hepatocarcinoma (HepG2) cell line. Methods: Toxic effects after 72h of exposure to different concentrations of PET-NPs (10–500 µg/mL) were evaluated by morphological alterations, cell internalization, cell viability (MTT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release assays, induction of oxidative stress (total antioxidant capacity, TAC), and genotoxicity (comet assay). Results: Cell viability reduced at all treatment concentrations in a dose–response manner, and 616.7 µg/mL was determined as IC50. No cell membrane damages detected by LDH assay. TAC reduced significantly after 12 h exposure to > 400 μg/mL PET-NPs. Dose-dependent DNA damages were observed after 72 h. Conclusion: These findings indicated that PET-NPs have significant cytotoxic effects, particularly on genotoxicity and induction of oxidative stress. The results obtained here showed a significant impact of PET-NPs at the tested concentrations suggest a potential impact on humans. Other studies are currently underway to confirm these toxic effects. Graphical abstract: (Figure presented.) © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Korean Society of Environmental Risk Assessment and Health Science 2024.