The use of OPTIR spectroscopy to determine the impact of micro- and nanoplastic exposure on the placenta    — ASN Events
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  3. The use of OPTIR spectroscopy to determine the impact of micro- and nanoplastic exposure on the placenta   

The use of OPTIR spectroscopy to determine the impact of micro- and nanoplastic exposure on the placenta    (#478)

Ava Rossetti 1 2 , Holly Ung 2 , Sarah Marshall 2 3 , Shayanti Mukherjee 2 3 , Kamila Kochan 1 4
  1. School of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Monash University , Clayton, VIC, Australia
  2. The Ritchie Centre, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Clayton, VIC, Australia
  3. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Monash University , Clayton, VIC, Australia
  4. Centre to Impact AMR, Monash University , Clayton, VIC, Australia

Background

Micro- and nanoplastics are ubiquitous, yet their impact on human health remains poorly understood. During pregnancy, these particles could pose a concern as environmental contaminants impacting maternal health, placental function, and fetal development, with possible trans-generational effects. Vibrational spectroscopy has become a powerful method for characterising chemical changes within cells, complementing common wet laboratory practices due to its ability to provide rapid label-free real-time evaluation of single cell populations. Yet, its application to this field remains limited.(1)

Methods

Primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs; n = 3), collected from uncomplicated pregnancies at term, were seeded (2.5 × 104 cells) onto CaF2 slides (10 × 0.35 mm) for 48hr at 5 % CO2, 37°C, and exposed to micro- and nanoplastics (100 µg/mL polystyrene and polyethylene, < 1 µm size) for 48hr . Post-exposure, the cells were fixed (4% PFA) and analysed via Optical Photothermal Infrared Spectroscopy (mIRage-LS, USA) coupled with chemometric analysis (Principal Component Analysis (PCA); Quasar, ORANGE). This vibrational-spectroscopy-based approach enabled rapid detection of biochemical changes across cell populations exposed and unexposed to micro- and nano-plastics whilst providing visualisation of the microplastics themselves.

Results

Post-exposure, PCA showed that increases in DNA, protein and lipid-associated spectral bands (986 & 1040, 1468 & 1740, 1552 & 1655 cm-1, respectively) were associated with exposed cells compared to control cells. This is likely indicative of the early chemical changes occurring within the cells, resulting from morphological and biological changes to the plasma membrane and the activation of oxidative stress pathways upon the accumulation of these particles into the cells’ cytoplasm.

Conclusion

These initial findings highlight the utility of vibrational spectroscopy as a powerful tool for investigating the morphological and mechanistic effects of micro- and nanoplastics on primary cells relevant to pregnancy, advancing understanding of their potential impacts on female reproductive health.

  1. Kutralam-Muniasamy G, Shruti VC, Pérez-Guevara F, Roy PD. Microplastic diagnostics in humans: "The 3Ps" Progress, problems, and prospects. Sci Total Environ. 2023;856(Pt 2):159164.