Interaction of polystyrene nanoplastics with human fibrinogen

Abstract

Nanoplastics are an emerging environmental contaminant that can penetrate biological barriers to enter the bloodstream and risk human health. In this context, nanoplastics are likely to interact with proteins in the blood to possibly affect protein structure and function and consequently induce biological effects. Here we report that polystyrene (PS), PS-NH2, and PS-COOH nanoplastics disrupt the structure of human fibrinogen (HF) in a dose-dependent manner, as revealed by UV–vis and fluorescence spectroscopy. All three nanoplastics interacted with HF in a similar way, with PS-NH2 having the greatest effect on HF structure. Furthermore, fibrinogen polymerization experiments demonstrated that nanoplastics have the potential to promote blood coagulation, with PS-NH2 again having a stronger effect. Collectively, these results provide insights into the interactions occurring between nanoplastics and HF, the likely transport and fate of nanoplastics in organisms, and their potential pathophysiological consequences.