TY  - JOUR
A1  - Brachner, Andreas
A1  - Fragouli, Despina
A1  - Duarte, Iola F.
A1  - Farias, Patricia M. A.
A1  - Dembski, Sofia
A1  - Ghosh, Manosij
A1  - Barisic, Ivan
A1  - Zdzieblo, Daniela
A1  - Vanoirbeek, Jeroen
A1  - Schwabl, Philipp
A1  - Neuhaus, Winfried
T1  - Assessment of human health risks posed by nano-and microplastics is currently not feasible
JF  - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
N2  - The exposure of humans to nano-and microplastic particles (NMPs) is an issue recognized as a potential health hazard by scientists, authorities, politics, non-governmental organizations and the general public. The concentration of NMPs in the environment is increasing concomitantly with global plastic production and the usage of plastic materials. NMPs are detectable in numerous aquatic organisms and also in human samples, therefore necessitating a risk assessment of NMPs for human health. So far, a comprehensive risk assessment of NMPs is hampered by limited availability of appropriate reference materials, analytical obstacles and a lack of definitions and standardized study designs. Most studies conducted so far used polystyrene (PS) spheres as a matter of availability, although this polymer type accounts for only about 7% of total plastic production. Differently sized particles, different concentration and incubation times, and various biological models have been used, yielding hardly comparable data sets. Crucial physico-chemical properties of NMPs such as surface (charge, polarity, chemical reactivity), supplemented additives and adsorbed chemicals have been widely excluded from studies, although in particular the surface of NMPs determines the interaction with cellular membranes. In this manuscript we give an overview about the critical parameters which should be considered when performing risk assessments of NMPs, including novel reference materials, taking into account surface modifications (e.g., reflecting weathering processes), and the possible role of NMPs as a substrate and/or carrier for (pathogenic) microbes. Moreover, we make suggestions for biological model systems to evaluate immediate toxicity, long-term effects and the potential of NMPs to cross biological barriers. We are convinced that standardized reference materials and experimental parameters along with technical innovations in (nano)-particle sampling and analytics are a prerequisite for the successful realization of conclusive human health risk assessments of NMPs.
KW  - nanoplastics
KW  - nanoparticles
KW  - microplastics
KW  - microparticles
KW  - human exposure
KW  - biological barriers
KW  - biofilm
KW  - microbe carrier
KW  - toxicity
KW  - neurotoxicity
Y1  - 2020
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-219423
SN  - 1660-4601
VL  - 17
IS  - 23
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Bohnert, Simone
A1  - Georgiades, Kosmas
A1  - Monoranu, Camelia-Maria
A1  - Bohnert, Michael
A1  - Büttner, Andreas
A1  - Ondruschka, Benjamin
T1  - Quantitative evidence of suppressed TMEM119 microglial immunohistochemistry in fatal morphine intoxications
JF  - International Journal of Legal Medicine
N2  - The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the diagnostic potential of TMEM119 as a useful microglia-specific marker in combination with immunostainings for phagocytic function and infiltrating capacity of monocytes in cases of lethal monosubstance intoxications by morphine (MOR), methamphetamine (METH), and of ethanol-associated death (ETH) respectively. Human brain tissue samples were obtained from forensic autopsies of cases with single substance abuse (MOR, n = 8; ETH, n = 10; METH, n = 9) and then compared to a cohort of cardiovascular fatalities as controls (n = 9). Brain tissue samples of cortex, white matter, and hippocampus were collected and stained immunohistochemically with antibodies against TMEM119, CD68KiM1P, and CCR2. We could document the lowest density of TMEM119-positive cells in MOR deaths with highly significant differences to the control densities in all three regions investigated. In ETH and METH deaths, the expression of TMEM119 was comparable to cell densities in controls. The results indicate that the immunoreaction in brain tissue is different in these groups depending on the drug type used for abuse.
KW  - immunohistochemistry
KW  - drug abuse
KW  - forensic neuropathology
KW  - neuroinflammation
KW  - neurotoxicity
KW  - microglia
Y1  - 2021
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-266934
SN  - 1437-1596
VL  - 135
IS  - 6
ER  -