Microplastics (MPs) pollution is a global paradigm that raises concern in relation to environment and human health. In order to investigate the molecular toxicity mechanisms of MPs, transcriptomic analyses were performed on in vitro Caco‐2 cell model. After observing that polystyrene microplastics (PS‐MPs) decreased cell viability in a dose‐dependent manner, the responsible genes and involved pathways that might make contribution to PS‐MBs‐induced toxicity to Caco‐2 cells were identified with Illumina RNA seq. A total of 442 genes including, 210 up‐regulated ones and 232 down‐regulated ones, showed differential expression after treatment by PS‐MPs with a concentration of 12.5 mg L−1 or 50.0 mg L−1 for 24 hours. Gene Ontology (GO) annotation enriched unigenes can be grouped into three separated clusters: cellular component (CC), biological process (BP), and molecular function (MF). The dominate pathways related to NF‐κB, MAPK signaling, cytokine‐cytokine receptor interaction, and toll‐like receptor were strongly influenced by PS‐MBs. These pathways are involved in modulating cell inflammatory and proliferation. The qPCR were applied to investigate the transcriptional level of five proliferation related genes (Ras, ERK, MER, CDK4, Cyclin D1) and four inflammation related genes (TRPV1, iNOS, IL‐1β, IL‐8), and the results were consistent with RNA‐seq data. This study has provided new insight into the understanding of the toxicity effects of PS‐MBs‐induced intestinal inflammatory diseases.

中文翻译：

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聚苯乙烯微珠对人 Caco-2 细胞毒性和转录组学特征的影响

微塑料 (MPs) 污染是一种全球范式，引起了对环境和人类健康的关注。为了研究 MPs 的分子毒性机制，在体外 Caco-2 细胞模型上进行了转录组学分析。在观察到聚苯乙烯微塑料 (PS-MPs) 以剂量依赖性方式降低细胞活力后，Illumina RNA seq 鉴定了可能导致 PS-MBs 对 Caco-2 细胞毒性的相关基因和相关通路。总共442个基因，包括210个上调基因和232个下调基因，在用浓度为12.5 mg L-1或50.0 mg L-1的PS-MPs处理24小时后表现出差异表达。基因本体 (GO) 注释丰富的 unigenes 可以分为三个独立的集群：细胞成分 (CC)、生物过程（BP）和分子功能（MF）。与 NF-κB、MAPK 信号、细胞因子-细胞因子受体相互作用和 toll 样受体相关的主要通路受 PS-MB 的强烈影响。这些途径参与调节细胞炎症和增殖。应用qPCR检测5种增殖相关基因（Ras、ERK、MER、CDK4、Cyclin D1）和4种炎症相关基因（TRPV1、iNOS、IL-1β、IL-8）的转录水平，结果一致使用 RNA-seq 数据。该研究为理解 PS-MBs 诱导的肠道炎症疾病的毒性作用提供了新的见解。这些途径参与调节细胞炎症和增殖。应用qPCR检测5种增殖相关基因（Ras、ERK、MER、CDK4、Cyclin D1）和4种炎症相关基因（TRPV1、iNOS、IL-1β、IL-8）的转录水平，结果一致使用 RNA-seq 数据。该研究为理解 PS-MBs 诱导的肠道炎症疾病的毒性作用提供了新的见解。这些途径参与调节细胞炎症和增殖。应用qPCR检测5种增殖相关基因（Ras、ERK、MER、CDK4、Cyclin D1）和4种炎症相关基因（TRPV1、iNOS、IL-1β、IL-8）的转录水平，结果一致使用 RNA-seq 数据。该研究为理解 PS-MBs 诱导的肠道炎症疾病的毒性作用提供了新的见解。