Nominally identical microplastic models differ greatly in their particle-cell interactions

Simon Wieland, Anja F. R. M. Ramsperger, Wolfgang Gross, Moritz Lehmann, Thomas Witzmann, Anja Caspari, Martin Obst, Stephan Gekle, Günter K. Auernhammer, Andreas Fery, Christian Laforsch () and Holger Kress ()
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Simon Wieland: University of Bayreuth
Anja F. R. M. Ramsperger: University of Bayreuth
Wolfgang Gross: University of Bayreuth
Moritz Lehmann: University of Bayreuth
Thomas Witzmann: Institute of Physical Chemistry and Polymer Physics
Anja Caspari: Institute of Physical Chemistry and Polymer Physics
Martin Obst: University of Bayreuth
Stephan Gekle: University of Bayreuth
Günter K. Auernhammer: Institute of Physical Chemistry and Polymer Physics
Andreas Fery: Institute of Physical Chemistry and Polymer Physics
Christian Laforsch: University of Bayreuth
Holger Kress: University of Bayreuth

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-17

Abstract: Abstract Due to the abundance of microplastics in the environment, research about its possible adverse effects is increasing exponentially. Most studies investigating the effect of microplastics on cells still rely on commercially available polystyrene microspheres. However, the choice of these model microplastic particles can affect the outcome of the studies, as even nominally identical model microplastics may interact differently with cells due to different surface properties such as the surface charge. Here, we show that nominally identical polystyrene microspheres from eight different manufacturers significantly differ in their ζ-potential, which is the electrical potential of a particle in a medium at its slipping plane. The ζ-potential of the polystyrene particles is additionally altered after environmental exposure. We developed a microfluidic microscopy platform to demonstrate that the ζ-potential determines particle-cell adhesion strength. Furthermore, we find that due to this effect, the ζ-potential also strongly determines the internalization of the microplastic particles into cells. Therefore, the ζ-potential can act as a proxy of microplastic-cell interactions and may govern adverse effects reported in various organisms exposed to microplastics.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45281-4

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