ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Med.
Sec. Ophthalmology
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1587759
Polystyrene microplastics impair the function of human retinal microvascular endothelial cells and pericytes and increase vascular permeability in vitro
Provisionally accepted
- 1Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Republic of Korea
- 2College of Veterinary Medicine, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Gangwon, Republic of Korea
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Introduction: Polystyrene (PS) microplastics are among the most prevalent types of microplastics responsible for global pollution. Although numerous studies have investigated the effects of PS on various organs, such as the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, nervous system, and intestines, its impact on the eyes, particularly the retina, remains largely unexplored. Methods: To assess the effects of PS on retinal pathology, cultured retinal microvascular endothelial cells, pericytes, astrocytes, and microglial cells were exposed to 2 µm PS particles. Cell viability (MTT assay), apoptosis (Annexin V/PI flow cytometry), protein expression (western blotting), and angiogenesis-related behaviors (tube formation, migration, and permeability assays) were evaluated. Results: PS induced endothelial cell apoptosis by reducing the activity of AKT and ERK1/2 and induced pericyte apoptosis by reducing the activity of AKT. PS reduced tube formation, migration, and proliferation by reducing AKT and ERK1/2 activity in retinal endothelial cells. Additionally, PS induced pericyte apoptosis and increased endothelial permeability. Conclusion: PS can worsen retinopathy by inducing endothelial cell and pericyte apoptosis and increasing vascular leakage, although it does not promote angiogenesis.
Keywords: Polystyrene, pericyte, endothelial cell, Endothelial permeability, retinopathy
Received: 04 Mar 2025; Accepted: 06 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Yun. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Jang-Hyuk Yun, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Republic of Korea
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.