Giulio Giustarini, Tim Skrabanja, Annemijne E. T. van den Berg, Selma van Staveren, Tom Vos, Zhaohe Zhou, Thomas Klaessens, Eva Mulder, Joëlle Klazen, Joost Smit, Raymond Pieters, Leo Koenderman, Nienke Vrisekoop
phagocytosis of 1 μm PS by mouse neutrophils in the liver. Phagocytosis by human neutrophils required plasma or serum-coating of PS and was complement-dependent. Phagocytosis of coated PS induced monocyte and neutrophil cell death, with 10 μm PS requiring a single particle uptake, whereas 1 μm PS required much higher exposure levels. Neutrophil cell death upon 10 μm PS phagocytosis was characterized by extracellular DNA and classified as NETosis. These findings demonstrate that microplastics can penetrate tissues and provoke pro-inflammatory immune cell death, suggesting potential risks to human health.