Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42278555›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of molecular sciences2026

Long-Term PET-Nanoplastic Exposure Alters DNA Damage Response Capacity in BEAS-2B Human Bronchial Epithelial Cells.

Michelle Morataya-Reyes, Aliro Villacorta, Raquel Egea, Joan Martín-Pérez, Javier Gutiérrez-García, Susana Pastor, Ricard Marcos, Alba Hernández

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of molecular sciences, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

8 authors.

Michelle Morataya-ReyesGroup of Mutagenesis, Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Faculty of Biosciences, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain.ORCID 0000-0001-9620-2069
Aliro VillacortaGroup of Mutagenesis, Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Faculty of Biosciences, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain.
Raquel EgeaGroup of Mutagenesis, Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Faculty of Biosciences, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain.ORCID 0000-0002-6201-4112
Joan Martín-PérezGroup of Mutagenesis, Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Faculty of Biosciences, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain.
Javier Gutiérrez-GarcíaGroup of Mutagenesis, Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Faculty of Biosciences, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain.ORCID 0009-0007-7376-8933
Susana PastorGroup of Mutagenesis, Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Faculty of Biosciences, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain.ORCID 0000-0003-2454-5163
Ricard MarcosGroup of Mutagenesis, Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Faculty of Biosciences, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain.ORCID 0000-0001-7891-357X
Alba HernándezGroup of Mutagenesis, Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Faculty of Biosciences, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain.ORCID 0000-0001-6938-1233

Funding

EU Horizon 2020 965196Generalitat de Catalunya 2021-SGR-00731Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades PID2020-116789, RB-C43
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Chronic inhalation exposure to nanoplastics, specifically polyethylene terephthalate (PET) nanoplastics (PET-NPLs) is an emerging health concern, yet the long-term consequences for genomic stability and DNA damage response (DDR) capacity in bronchial epithelial cells remain poorly characterized. For this study, human bronchial epithelial BEAS-2B cells were continuously exposed to PET-NPLs for over 20 weeks, after which elevated basal DNA genotoxic damage was observed, as assessed by the alkaline comet assay. In addition, a broad transcriptional suppression of the DDR, with 27 of 84 profiled genes involved in DDR showing reduced expression relative to passage-matched control was observed. The suppressed genes span ATM/ATR checkpoint signaling, homologous recombination (HR), base excision repair (BER), nucleotide excision repair (NER), and apoptotic pathways. To determine whether chronic PET-NPL exposure altered susceptibility to acute genotoxic challenge in a damage-type-specific manner, cells were treated with methyl methanesulfonate (MMS), ultraviolet-C (UV-C) radiation, or bleomycin. While MMS and UV-C induced comparable levels of DNA damage in control and PET-exposed cells, bleomycin produced significantly greater damage in PET-exposed cells, indicating selective sensitization to doble-strand breaks (DSB)-type and oxidative genotoxic insults. Transcriptional profiling during bleomycin challenge identified 18 DDR genes with relatively higher expression in PET-exposed cells compared to passage-matched controls, encompassing HR, BER, ATM/ATR signaling, the Fanconi anemia pathway, and apoptosis. Furthermore, PET-exposed cells retained significantly higher residual DNA damage after 3 h of bleomycin challenge, indicating a persistent early repair deficit. Together, these findings suggest that chronic PET-NPL exposure specifically compromises the bronchial epithelial DDR, with potential implications for long-term genomic stability in respiratory epithelia subjected to nanoplastic inhalation.

Indexed as

BronchiDNA RepairEpithelial CellsGenomic InstabilityNanoparticlesPolyethylene TerephthalatesApoptosisCell LineComet AssayDNA DamageExcision RepairGene ExpressionHumansUltraviolet RaysPolyethylene TerephthalatesDNA damage responsegenotoxicitylong-term exposurenanoplasticsPET

Identifiers

PMID42278555
PMCPMC13256201

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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.