Effects of Microplastic Accumulation on Neuronal Death After Global Cerebral Ischemia
Brain ischemia, a condition in which the brain is deprived of blood flow, can lead to a stroke due to blocked or unstable blood vessels. Global cerebral ischemia (GCI), characterized by an interruption in blood flow, deprives the brain of oxygen and nutrients, producing reactive oxygen species (ROS)...
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MDPI AG
2025-02-01
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| author | Dong Yeon Kim Min Kyu Park Hyun Wook Yang Seo Young Woo Hyun Ho Jung Dae-Soon Son Bo Young Choi Sang Won Suh |
| author_facet | Dong Yeon Kim Min Kyu Park Hyun Wook Yang Seo Young Woo Hyun Ho Jung Dae-Soon Son Bo Young Choi Sang Won Suh |
| author_sort | Dong Yeon Kim |
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| description | Brain ischemia, a condition in which the brain is deprived of blood flow, can lead to a stroke due to blocked or unstable blood vessels. Global cerebral ischemia (GCI), characterized by an interruption in blood flow, deprives the brain of oxygen and nutrients, producing reactive oxygen species (ROS) that trigger cell death, which kills nerve cells. Microplastics (MPs), tiny environmental pollutants, can enter the human body through contaminated food, water, disposable items, cosmetics, and more. Once in the brain, MPs can increase neuroinflammation by overstimulating inflammatory factors such as microglia. MPs can also damage neurons by scratching myelin and microtubules, slowing signal transduction, causing cognitive impairment, and leading to neuronal death. Furthermore, microtubule damage may result in the release of phosphorylated tau proteins, potentially linked to Alzheimer’s disease. We hypothesized that MPs could exacerbate neuroinflammation and microtubule destruction after GCI, leading to increased neuronal death. To test this hypothesis, we administered MPs (0.5 µm) orally at a dose of 50 mg/kg before and after inducing GCI. Staining techniques such as Fluoro-Jade B (FJB), ionized calcium-binding adaptor molecule 1 (Iba-1), cluster of differentiation 68 (CD68), myelin basic protein (MBP), and microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2) were used, along with Western blot analysis for interleukin-6 (IL-6), TNF-α, tau-5, and phospho-tau (S396) to evaluate the effects of MPs on neuronal cell death, neuroinflammation, and microtubule destruction. The results showed that MP accumulation significantly increased neuroinflammation, microtubule disruption, and neuronal cell death in the GCI-MP group compared to the GCI-vehicle group. Therefore, this study suggests that MP accumulation in daily life may contribute to the exacerbation of the disease, potentially leading to severe neuronal cell death after GCI. |
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| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-9c488236293044e797d7b09ef51f2edd2025-08-20T02:44:59ZengMDPI AGCells2073-44092025-02-0114424110.3390/cells14040241Effects of Microplastic Accumulation on Neuronal Death After Global Cerebral IschemiaDong Yeon Kim0Min Kyu Park1Hyun Wook Yang2Seo Young Woo3Hyun Ho Jung4Dae-Soon Son5Bo Young Choi6Sang Won Suh7Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Chuncheon 24252, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Physiology, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Chuncheon 24252, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Physiology, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Chuncheon 24252, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Physiology, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Chuncheon 24252, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Physiology, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Chuncheon 24252, Republic of KoreaDivision of Data Science, Data Science Convergence Research Center, Hallym University, Chuncheon 24252, Republic of KoreaInstitute of Sport Science, Hallym University, Chuncheon 24252, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Physiology, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Chuncheon 24252, Republic of KoreaBrain ischemia, a condition in which the brain is deprived of blood flow, can lead to a stroke due to blocked or unstable blood vessels. Global cerebral ischemia (GCI), characterized by an interruption in blood flow, deprives the brain of oxygen and nutrients, producing reactive oxygen species (ROS) that trigger cell death, which kills nerve cells. Microplastics (MPs), tiny environmental pollutants, can enter the human body through contaminated food, water, disposable items, cosmetics, and more. Once in the brain, MPs can increase neuroinflammation by overstimulating inflammatory factors such as microglia. MPs can also damage neurons by scratching myelin and microtubules, slowing signal transduction, causing cognitive impairment, and leading to neuronal death. Furthermore, microtubule damage may result in the release of phosphorylated tau proteins, potentially linked to Alzheimer’s disease. We hypothesized that MPs could exacerbate neuroinflammation and microtubule destruction after GCI, leading to increased neuronal death. To test this hypothesis, we administered MPs (0.5 µm) orally at a dose of 50 mg/kg before and after inducing GCI. Staining techniques such as Fluoro-Jade B (FJB), ionized calcium-binding adaptor molecule 1 (Iba-1), cluster of differentiation 68 (CD68), myelin basic protein (MBP), and microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2) were used, along with Western blot analysis for interleukin-6 (IL-6), TNF-α, tau-5, and phospho-tau (S396) to evaluate the effects of MPs on neuronal cell death, neuroinflammation, and microtubule destruction. The results showed that MP accumulation significantly increased neuroinflammation, microtubule disruption, and neuronal cell death in the GCI-MP group compared to the GCI-vehicle group. Therefore, this study suggests that MP accumulation in daily life may contribute to the exacerbation of the disease, potentially leading to severe neuronal cell death after GCI.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/14/4/241global cerebral ischemiamicroplasticneuroinflammationmicrotubulemyelin sheathtau protein |
| spellingShingle | Dong Yeon Kim Min Kyu Park Hyun Wook Yang Seo Young Woo Hyun Ho Jung Dae-Soon Son Bo Young Choi Sang Won Suh Effects of Microplastic Accumulation on Neuronal Death After Global Cerebral Ischemia Cells global cerebral ischemia microplastic neuroinflammation microtubule myelin sheath tau protein |
| title | Effects of Microplastic Accumulation on Neuronal Death After Global Cerebral Ischemia |
| title_full | Effects of Microplastic Accumulation on Neuronal Death After Global Cerebral Ischemia |
| title_fullStr | Effects of Microplastic Accumulation on Neuronal Death After Global Cerebral Ischemia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of Microplastic Accumulation on Neuronal Death After Global Cerebral Ischemia |
| title_short | Effects of Microplastic Accumulation on Neuronal Death After Global Cerebral Ischemia |
| title_sort | effects of microplastic accumulation on neuronal death after global cerebral ischemia |
| topic | global cerebral ischemia microplastic neuroinflammation microtubule myelin sheath tau protein |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/14/4/241 |
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