Polystyrene nanoplastic co-exposed to BPA and BPS induces cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, and alters ROS production in HepG2 cells

During plastic degradation, it is fragmented into micro and nanoplastic, which can adsorb contaminants from the environment, increasing the plastics´ toxicity. Bisphenol A is used in plastic production and can be an endocrine disruptor. Bisphenol S is an analog of bisphenol A and has been used as an alternative to “BPA-free” products. Therefore, this is the first research proposing to verify whether nanoplastics associated with bisphenol A or S can increase toxicity in HepG2 cells. Nanoplastics associated with bisphenols could alter the cell viability of HepG2 cells compared to the group treated with the nanoplastic alone and concerning the respective bisphenol. The co-exposure of nanoplastic to bisphenols A or S promoted cytotoxic and genotoxic damage in HepG2 cells, altering the reactive oxygen species production, increasing DNA strand breaks, and increasing apoptotic cells. Bisphenols A and S also showed cytotoxic and genotoxic effects in HepG2 cells. However, 8-OHdG was only detected in the group treated with the nanoplastic at the lowest concentration. This study highlights the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of nanoplastics and bisphenols A and S, providing new insights into hepatocyte toxicity.