@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}},
}