The effect of tyre-wear nanoplastics on activation of dendritic cells and downstream T cells with tetanus toxoid and cytomegalovirus as recall antigens using an autologous in vitro coculture model
(2026) KIMM05 20261Department of Immunotechnology
- Abstract
- Micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) are widespread environmental pollutants capable of crossing biological barriers. Nanoplastic tyre wear particles (NTWP) are of particular concern because tyre abrasion is a major source of nanoplastic pollution. This study investigated whether NTWP affects monocyte-derived dendritic cell (moDC) activation and subsequent T cell responses, both without antigen and in the presence of recall antigens.
An autologous in vitro moDC–T cell coculture model was established using peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy donors. CD14⁺ monocytes were differentiated into CD1a⁺CD14⁻ moDCs over 7 days using GM-CSF and IL-4. moDCs were exposed to NTWP for 24 h, and activation was assessed by CD86 and HLA-DR... (More) - Micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) are widespread environmental pollutants capable of crossing biological barriers. Nanoplastic tyre wear particles (NTWP) are of particular concern because tyre abrasion is a major source of nanoplastic pollution. This study investigated whether NTWP affects monocyte-derived dendritic cell (moDC) activation and subsequent T cell responses, both without antigen and in the presence of recall antigens.
An autologous in vitro moDC–T cell coculture model was established using peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy donors. CD14⁺ monocytes were differentiated into CD1a⁺CD14⁻ moDCs over 7 days using GM-CSF and IL-4. moDCs were exposed to NTWP for 24 h, and activation was assessed by CD86 and HLA-DR expression. Activated moDCs were then cocultured with autologous T cells for 5 days, with or without cytomegalovirus (CMV) or tetanus toxoid (TT). T cell activation was assessed using CD69 as an early and CD25 as a later activation marker.
NTWP increased moDC activation in a concentration-dependent manner. The more stringently filtered (2×) preparation increased activation at all concentrations tested, whereas the less stringently filtered (1×) preparation reached significance only at the highest concentration. NTWP-stimulated moDCs also altered CD3⁺CD4⁺ T cell activation. Without added antigen, changes occurred in both CD25⁺CD69⁺ and CD25⁺CD69⁻ populations, while in the presence of CMV or TT, effects were limited to CD25⁺CD69⁻ cells. No significant effects were observed on CD3⁺CD8⁺ T cell activation.
These findings indicate that human moDCs respond directly to NTWP and can transmit this response to autologous CD4⁺ T cells. Donor numbers were small and the effects modest, so larger studies with functional readouts are needed before the relevance of NTWP exposure to human immunity can be established. (Less) - Popular Abstract
- Micro- and nanoplastics have become widespread pollutants in the environment and are increasingly recognised as a potential risk to human health. Because they are so small, nanoplastics can cross biological barriers such as the intestinal wall, which allows them to reach different tissues in the body. One of the largest sources of nanoplastic pollution is the wear of vehicle tyres, which makes tyre derived nanoplastics an important area of research.
This study looked at whether tyre nanoplastics can affect the human immune system, by testing what they do to dendritic cells and T cells, two cell types that start and control immune responses. Blood from healthy donors was used to grow the immune cells, which were then given different... (More) - Micro- and nanoplastics have become widespread pollutants in the environment and are increasingly recognised as a potential risk to human health. Because they are so small, nanoplastics can cross biological barriers such as the intestinal wall, which allows them to reach different tissues in the body. One of the largest sources of nanoplastic pollution is the wear of vehicle tyres, which makes tyre derived nanoplastics an important area of research.
This study looked at whether tyre nanoplastics can affect the human immune system, by testing what they do to dendritic cells and T cells, two cell types that start and control immune responses. Blood from healthy donors was used to grow the immune cells, which were then given different amounts of tyre nanoplastics in the laboratory. We also looked at how the cells responded to two things the immune system had met before, a common virus and the tetanus vaccine antigen.
The results showed that dendritic cells became more activated as the amount of tyre nanoplastics increased. Tyre nanoplastics also appeared to influence the activation of CD4⁺ T cells, the helper T cells, whereas CD8⁺ T cells, the killer T cells, showed little or no response. This suggests that tyre nanoplastics may affect specific parts of the immune system and could influence how immune responses are controlled.
Although the results give new insight into the possible effects of tyre nanoplastics on the immune system, the study included a small number of donors and the findings should be read with caution. More work is needed to confirm these observations and to understand what long term exposure to tyre nanoplastics in everyday life might mean for health. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9249154
- author
- Linde, Jacob LU and Ballas, Marios Fotios
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- KIMM05 20261
- year
- 2026
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Nanoplastics, immune effects
- language
- English
- id
- 9249154
- date added to LUP
- 2026-08-31 13:09:16
- date last changed
- 2026-08-31 13:09:16
@misc{9249154,
abstract = {{Micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) are widespread environmental pollutants capable of crossing biological barriers. Nanoplastic tyre wear particles (NTWP) are of particular concern because tyre abrasion is a major source of nanoplastic pollution. This study investigated whether NTWP affects monocyte-derived dendritic cell (moDC) activation and subsequent T cell responses, both without antigen and in the presence of recall antigens.
An autologous in vitro moDC–T cell coculture model was established using peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy donors. CD14⁺ monocytes were differentiated into CD1a⁺CD14⁻ moDCs over 7 days using GM-CSF and IL-4. moDCs were exposed to NTWP for 24 h, and activation was assessed by CD86 and HLA-DR expression. Activated moDCs were then cocultured with autologous T cells for 5 days, with or without cytomegalovirus (CMV) or tetanus toxoid (TT). T cell activation was assessed using CD69 as an early and CD25 as a later activation marker.
NTWP increased moDC activation in a concentration-dependent manner. The more stringently filtered (2×) preparation increased activation at all concentrations tested, whereas the less stringently filtered (1×) preparation reached significance only at the highest concentration. NTWP-stimulated moDCs also altered CD3⁺CD4⁺ T cell activation. Without added antigen, changes occurred in both CD25⁺CD69⁺ and CD25⁺CD69⁻ populations, while in the presence of CMV or TT, effects were limited to CD25⁺CD69⁻ cells. No significant effects were observed on CD3⁺CD8⁺ T cell activation.
These findings indicate that human moDCs respond directly to NTWP and can transmit this response to autologous CD4⁺ T cells. Donor numbers were small and the effects modest, so larger studies with functional readouts are needed before the relevance of NTWP exposure to human immunity can be established.}},
author = {{Linde, Jacob and Ballas, Marios Fotios}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{The effect of tyre-wear nanoplastics on activation of dendritic cells and downstream T cells with tetanus toxoid and cytomegalovirus as recall antigens using an autologous in vitro coculture model}},
year = {{2026}},
}