Affiliation:
1. Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology (SIAT), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Shenzhen 518071, China
2. China-Italy Joint Laboratory of Pharmacobiotechnology for Medical Immunomodulation, Shenzhen 518055, China
3. Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, National Research Council, 80131 Naples, Italy
4. Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80132 Naples, Italy
Abstract
Plastic pollution is a significant problem worldwide because of the risks it poses to the equilibrium and health of the environment as well as to human beings. Discarded plastic released into the environment can degrade into microplastics (MPs) due to various factors, such as sunlight, seawater flow, and temperature. MP surfaces can act as solid scaffolds for microorganisms, viruses, and various biomolecules (such as LPS, allergens, and antibiotics), depending on the MP characteristics of size/surface area, chemical composition, and surface charge. The immune system has efficient recognition and elimination mechanisms for pathogens, foreign agents, and anomalous molecules, including pattern recognition receptors and phagocytosis. However, associations with MPs can modify the physical, structural, and functional characteristics of microbes and biomolecules, thereby changing their interactions with the host immune system (in particular with innate immune cells) and, most likely, the features of the subsequent innate/inflammatory response. Thus, exploring differences in the immune response to microbial agents that have been modified by interactions with MPs is meaningful in terms of identifying new possible risks to human health posed by anomalous stimulation of immune reactivities.
Funder
National Natural Science Foundation of China
International Partnership Program (IPP) of CAS
National Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province
CAS President’s International Fellowship Initiative
Subject
Inorganic Chemistry,Organic Chemistry,Physical and Theoretical Chemistry,Computer Science Applications,Spectroscopy,Molecular Biology,General Medicine,Catalysis
Cited by
18 articles.
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