Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40607257›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of biological sciences2025

Polystyrene Nanoplastics Exacerbate HFD-induced MASLD by Reducing Cathepsin Activity and Triggering Large Vacuole Formation via Impaired Lysosomal Acidification.

Jiwon Ahn, Kajung Ryu, Hyerin Kim, Hwi Won Seo, Minsu Jang, Seung-Hyun Kim, Yunho Park, Myung Jin Son, Ho-Joon Lee, Ok-Seon Kwon and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of biological sciences, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Review
  6. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Jiwon AhnCenter for Gene and Cell Therapy, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), 125 Gwahak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea.
Kajung RyuCenter for Gene and Cell Therapy, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), 125 Gwahak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea.
Hyerin KimKorea Bioinformation Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), 125 Gwahak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea.
Hwi Won SeoInfectious Diseases Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), 125 Gwahak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea.
Minsu JangCenter for Gene and Cell Therapy, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), 125 Gwahak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea.
Seung-Hyun KimCenter for Gene and Cell Therapy, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), 125 Gwahak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea.
Yunho ParkCenter for Gene and Cell Therapy, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), 125 Gwahak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea.
Myung Jin SonCenter for Gene and Cell Therapy, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), 125 Gwahak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea.
Ho-Joon LeeCenter for Gene and Cell Therapy, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), 125 Gwahak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea.
Ok-Seon KwonCenter for Gene and Cell Therapy, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), 125 Gwahak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea.
Kyung-Sook ChungCenter for Gene and Cell Therapy, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), 125 Gwahak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Environmental nanoplastics (NPs) have harmful effects on health. This study investigated the effects of polystyrene (PS) NPs on steatosis and fatty liver disease. PS-NP oral administration, in conjunction with a high-fat diet (HFD), synergistically exacerbated the symptoms of steatosis in mice, leading to increased alanine transaminase, aspartate aminotransferase, and cholesterol levels; no effects were observed with PS-NPs on a normal chow diet. Transcriptome analysis unveiled that PS-NPs interfered with actin organization, cell-cell adhesion, PPAR signaling, and lipid metabolism. In HepaRG cells, PS-NPs rapidly entered by inducing actin rearrangement, resulting in the formation of numerous small cytoplasmic vesicles. This treatment led to an augmented number of acidic organelles, leading to development and buildup of large vacuoles, indicative of enlarged pre-lysosomal and lysosomal compartments. PS-NP exposure hampered p62 degradation, leading to LC3B accumulation and decreased cathepsin B and D activity. Additionally, PS-NP exposure resulted in accumulation of lipid droplets and elevated expression of lipogenesis-, transport-, and storage-related genes. These findings suggest that excessive endocytosis driven by PS-NPs worsens MASLD in HFD through accumulation of lysosomes and large vacuoles with reduced cathepsin activity.

Indexed as

CathepsinsDiet, High-FatFatty LiverLysosomesMicroplasticsPolystyrenesVacuolesAnimalsCathepsin BHumansLipid MetabolismMaleMiceMice, Inbred C57BLCathepsin BCathepsinsMicroplasticsPolystyrenescathepsinshigh-fat dietimpaired lysosome acidificationlarge vacuolespolystyrene nanoparticle

Identifiers

PMID40607257
PMCPMC12210384

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.