Protein Microplastic Coronation Complexes Trigger Proteome Changes in Brain-Derived Neuronal and Glial Cells

Abstract

The extensive distribution of microplastics (MPs) in the environment and their food chain contamination urgently necessitates a deeper understanding of their molecular-level impact on physiological responses. This study employed a mass spectrometry-based proteomics approach to investigate the potential risks, mechanisms of associated cellular processes, and biological reactions to preformed protein-MPs coronation and intact MPs using brain-derived neuronal and glial cells. Our findings indicate that MPs can adsorb proteins and form a heterogeneous corona layer when interacting with biological fluids such as serum. Proteomics analysis revealed that protein–MP coronation notably alters protein expression levels compared to intact MPs, impacting core cellular biological processes, including protein synthesis machinery and RNA processing pathways, lipid metabolism, and nuclear–cytoplasmic compartmentalization and transport. Notably, the heterogeneous protein adsorption onto MP surfaces perturbs a wide range of cellular signaling pathways through cellular recognition mechanisms, potentially contributing to the challenge of MP accumulation in the brain.