E-Thesis 308 views 183 downloads
Functional effects of nanoplastics on maternal and fetal innate immune cells / Tyler Joseph
Swansea University Author: Tyler Joseph
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PDF | E-Thesis – open access
Copyright: The Author, Tyler J. Joseph, 2025. Licensed under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-Only (CC-BY) license. Third party content is excluded for use under the license terms.
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Abstract
Nanoplastics (NPs) have become a common pollutant in the environment and exposure subsequently leads to infiltration into the human body via ingestion, inhalation and topically. Using animal models, NPs have been shown to translocate from the pregnant animal into the placenta and fetal organs, leadi...
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Swansea, Wales, UK
2025
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| Institution: | Swansea University |
| Degree level: | Master of Research |
| Degree name: | MSc by Research |
| Supervisor: | Thornton, Cathy ; Fry, Rich |
| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa68892 |
| Abstract: |
Nanoplastics (NPs) have become a common pollutant in the environment and exposure subsequently leads to infiltration into the human body via ingestion, inhalation and topically. Using animal models, NPs have been shown to translocate from the pregnant animal into the placenta and fetal organs, leading to fetal growth restriction and hepatic toxicity. However, little research has been conducted on the effect of NPs on immune function in the mother and fetus during human pregnancy. Focusing on innate immunity, this project aims to study the uptake of NPs in maternal and fetal mononuclear phagocytes and determine if NP uptake disrupts inflammatory cytokine production. Using 40 nm carboxylated polystyrene beads at 7.6x1010, 3.8x1011 and 7.6x1011 particles/ml, NP uptake was confirmed using flow cytometry and monocytes were shown to be the main cell type in whole blood for NP uptake. This was further confirmed by confocal microscopy. NP uptake in monocytes was unaffected by particle number over a 24-hour period. However, monocytes from pregnant compared to non-pregnant women showed greater NP uptake at 2 hours. Contrastingly, placental macrophages continuously took up NPs over a 24-hour period. Pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine production analysis in monocytes from non-pregnant and pregnant women exposed to different NP concentrations revealed no significant differences between unstimulated and LPS-stimulated TNFα, IL-1β and IL-10 production. Analysis of placental macrophages revealed that NP exposure led to significant increases in TNFα and IL-1β after LPS stimulation. Overall, NPs are taken up by phagocytes in a dose dependent manner, with increased uptake in monocytes from pregnant women compared to non-pregnant women highlighting the need for greater understanding of the effects of NPs on cell function. |
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| Keywords: |
immune, fetal, maternal, pregnancy, monocyte, placental macrophage, nanoplastic |
| College: |
Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences |