Nanoplastics induces Arrhythmia in Human Stem-cells derived Cardiomyocytes

Abstract

Abstract Plastic has become an ubiquitous environmental pollutant and nanoplastics (NPs) that are within the size range of 1nm to 1000nm could form upon weathering. Considering its sheer size, NPs are speculated to be more hazardous than their larger counterparts. Despite the growing concern, there is still limited understanding on the effects of NPs on human heart. Therefore, we aim to utilise human embryonic stem cells-derived-cardiomyocytes (hESC-CMs) to investigate the effects related to the uptake and accumulation of NPs in human heart. Firstly, more mature CMs were generated to better recapitulate the effects of NPs in adulthood. NPs effects were then elucidated over 3, 5 and 7 days of NPs treatment. The size-dependent uptake and accumulation of NPs was then established in CMs. Generally, oxidative stress and endoplasmic reticulum stress was upregulated in CMs in a dose-dependent manner. On the other hand, a rise in apoptosis was noted on all timepoints and was significant on day 7. Correspondingly, arrhythmia was also induced by day 7 of NPs treatment. Overall, our findings suggested that an exposure and accumulation of nanoplastics within hESC-CMs leads to oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum stress and decreased cell viability, resulting in an arrhythmic phenotype.