Polystyrene nanoparticles affect the innate immune system of the Antarctic sea urchin Sterechinus neumayeri

Plastic debris has been recognised as a potential stressor for Antarctic marine organisms. In this study, the effects of surface charged polystyrene nanoparticles (PS NPs) on the immune cells (coelomocytes) of the Antarctic sea urchin Sterechinus neumayeri were assessed through in vitro short-term c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polar biology Vol. 42; no. 4; pp. 743 - 757
Main Authors: Bergami, E., Krupinski Emerenciano, A., González-Aravena, M., Cárdenas, C. A., Hernández, P., Silva, J. R. M. C., Corsi, I.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 15.04.2019
Springer
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects:
Aggregation
Anions
Antioxidants
Apoptosis
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Capacity
Cations
Cells
Chemical analysis
Coelomocytes
Debris
Ecology
Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid
Gene expression
Immune system
Immunity
Inflammation
Inflammatory response
Innate immunity
Life Sciences
Light scattering
Marine biology
Marine invertebrates
Marine organisms
Microbiology
Morphology
Nanoparticles
Oceanography
Oxidative stress
Phagocytes
Phagocytosis
Photon correlation spectroscopy
Plant Sciences
Plastic debris
Plastic scrap
Polystyrene
Polystyrene resins
Sea-water
Seawater
Uptake
Water analysis
Water purification
Zoology
Coelomocytes
Surface charge
Gene expression
Antarctic marine organisms
Nanoplastics
ISSN:0722-4060, 1432-2056
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Plastic debris has been recognised as a potential stressor for Antarctic marine organisms. In this study, the effects of surface charged polystyrene nanoparticles (PS NPs) on the immune cells (coelomocytes) of the Antarctic sea urchin Sterechinus neumayeri were assessed through in vitro short-term cultures. The behaviour of anionic carboxylated (PS-COOH) and cationic amino-modified (PS-NH 2 ) NPs in filtered natural sea water (NSW) from King George Island (South Shetland Islands) was characterised by dynamic light scattering. Cellular morphology, NP uptake, phagocytic capacity and gene expression were evaluated after 6 and 24 h of exposure to 1 and 5 µg mL −1 PS NPs. Secondary characterisation showed an initial good dispersion of PS NPs in NSW, followed by nano-scale aggregation after 24 h. Both PS NPs affected cellular phagocytosis and generated an inflammatory response against oxidative stress and apoptosis at the molecular level. Fluorescently labelled PS-COOH aggregates were internalised by phagocytes and associated to the modulation of genes related to external challenges, antioxidant responses and cell protection against stress and apoptosis. Exposure to PS-NH 2 caused a strong decrease in phagocytic capacity and the formation of cellular debris at 5 µg mL −1 after 24 h, but low gene modulation, suggesting a threshold in coelomocytes defence ability against PS-NH 2 . This study represents the first attempt to assess the impact of nanoplastics on Antarctic marine organisms. Our findings demonstrate that PS NPs with different surface charges constitute a challenge for S. neumayeri immune cells.
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ISSN:0722-4060
1432-2056
DOI:10.1007/s00300-019-02468-6