Inhibition of iron ion accumulation alleviates polystyrene nanoplastics-induced pulmonary fibroblast proliferation and activation

Microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) are increasingly recognized as widespread environmental pollutants with significant ecological and human health implications, with particularly severe impacts on the respiratory system. This study aimed to explore the effects of polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NPs, 80 nm) on pulmonary fibroblast proliferation and activation in NIH/3 T3 cells. Herein, we conducted a PS-NPs-induced fibroblast-to-myofibroblast transition (FMT) model and a pulmonary fibrosis mouse model. We found that PS-NPs effectively promoted fibroblast activation, proliferation, migration, and contraction. Fibroblast transcriptomics analyses revealed the enrichment of pathways involved in mineral absorption, mainly involved in iron ions, after PS-NPs treatment. Mechanistically, the elevated level of Fe²⁺ in PS-NPs-stimulated NIH/3 T3 cells originated primarily from macrophages and epithelial cells, as validated by co-culture systems of fibroblasts with epithelial cells and fibroblasts with macrophages. Moreover, treatment with the iron chelator DFO and the mineral absorption pathway inhibitor Esomeprazole (a classic Proton Pump Inhibitor, PPI) significantly reduced fibroblast activation. Consistent with the in vitro findings, in vivo results supported the occurrence of pulmonary fibrosis following PS-NPs exposure, accompanied by increased iron content in lung tissues. Collectively, these results revealed that PS-NPs could promote fibroblast activation and pulmonary fibrosis by augmenting intracellular iron content through enhancing epithelial-fibroblast and macrophage-fibroblast cross-talk. Therefore, our study also suggested that targeting intercellular crosstalk and iron homeostasis might be a promising therapeutic strategy for PS-NPs-induced pulmonary fibrosis.

Fibroblast activation; Intercellular crosstalk; PS-NPs; iron homeostasis.