Interactions of alumina and polystyrene nanoparticles with the innate immune system of Galleria mellonella

Abstract

Nowadays, particularly metallic, and polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) are widely produced and used in many fields. Due to the increase in both their usage and diversity, their release and accumulation in the environment are also accelerating. Therefore, their interactions with cells, especially immune cells, and their health risks are not fully understood. The impacts of metallic alumina (Al) NPs and polystyrene (PS) NPs obtained after the polymerization of carcinogenic styrene on living organisms have not yet been elucidated. Galleria mellonella larvae can biodegrade plastics. While biodegradation and solving the waste problem have attracted much attention, the interactions of this distinctive property of G. mellonella larvae in the immune system and ecosystem are not yet completely understood. Al and PS NPs were applied to G. mellonella separately. Al NPs were purchased and PS NPs were prepared from PS by single-emulsion technique and characterized. Then LC₅₀ values of these NPs on G. mellonella were determined. The interactions of these NPs with encapsulation, melanization, and phenoloxidase activity, which express innate immune responses in G. mellonella larvae, were revealed. NP exposure resulted in suppression of the immune response, probably because it affects the functions of hemocytes such as enzymatic activation, hemocyte division, and populations. In this context, our data suggest that Al and PS NPs induce toxic impacts and negatively alter the physiological status of G. mellonella. It is also shown that G. mellonella has the potential to be an impactful alternative model for biosafety and nanotoxicology studies.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

Keywords:

• Alumina nanoparticle
• polystyrene nanoparticle
• Galleria mellonella
• encapsulation
• melanization
• phenoloxidase activity

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Prof. Dr. Olcay MERT and Tuğba KOLDANKAYA for their help in the production of PS NPs at the Polymer and Materials Research Laboratory of the Department of Chemistry, Kocaeli University. This research was supported in part by Kocaeli University Scientific Research Projects Coordination Department (Project No: 2020–2296 and 2022-2813), and it is part of PhD thesis of Zülbiye Demirtürk. We are also grateful to four anonymous reviewers and the editor Dr. Marc Williams for their valuable comments and contributions to this manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported in part by Kocaeli University Scientific Research Projects Coordination Department (Project No: 2020–2296 and 2022-2813).