Professor Huang Zhenlie's team from the School of Public Health has published the latest research results in international authoritative academic journals

Recently, the research results of Professor Huang Zhenlie's team on the health hazard effects of microplastics in the School of Public Health of our university have been published in the international authoritative academic journals "Particle and Fibre Toxicology" and "Journal of Hazardous Materials", and have been authorized by the World Health Organization (WHO) to translate the WHO report "Microplastics in drinking-water" Chinese translation of "Microplastics in Drinking Water"
.

Distribution of plastic particles of different particle sizes in mice and their combined toxic effects on mouse intestines

The research paper was published in Particle and Fibre Toxicology, a top international journal in the field of nanotoxicology, entitled "Underestimated health risks: polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics jointly induce intestinal barrier dysfunction by ROS-mediated.
" Epithelial Cell Apoptosis", Professor Huang Zhenlie and Professor Yang Xingfen are the co-corresponding authors of the paper, and the School of Public Health of Southern Medical University is the first signature of the paper
.

Microplastics are also defined as new pollutants by the United Nations Environment Programme and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, and the pollution caused by them and the new health threats to all mankind are an urgent ecological environment and public health problem
to be solved.
The study provided detailed biodistribution data for the study of microplastic toxicity, and found that microplastics can be distributed in all major organs, including the brain; The combined toxic effect of mixed exposure of microplastics of different particle sizes on the intestine was first reported in the world (mice), revealing the current situation
that the toxicity of microplastic particles in the environment may be seriously underestimated.
The research results are currently ranked as highly cited by ESI and rank among the top 1% in the academic field of Pharmacology and Toxicology in the same publication year
.

Fig.
1: Research paper on the combined toxic effect of mixed exposure of microplastics of different particle sizes on the intestine (Part Fibre Toxicol, 2021, 18(1): 20)

Fig.
2 Mechanism of combined intestinal toxicity of mixed exposure of microplastics of different particle sizes (Part Fibre Toxicol, 2021, 18(1): 20)

Single-cell nuclear transcriptomics reveals the neurotoxic effects and mechanisms of nanoplastic particles in mice

The research paper was published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, a top journal in the international field of environmental science, under the title "Brain single-nucleus transcriptomics highlights that polystyrene nanoplastics potentially induce Parkinson's disease-like.
" Neurodegeneration by causing energy metabolism disorders in mice", Professor Huang Zhenlie and Professor Yang Xingfen are the co-corresponding authors of the paper, and the School of Public Health of Southern Medical University is the first signature of the paper
.

Whether microplastics have neurotoxic effects and their specific toxic targets are currently widely concerned scientific questions
.
Based on the above Particle and Fibre Toxicology paper, the study found that this study used single-cell nuclear transcriptomics technology to report that nanoplastic particles can mediate degenerative diseases such as parkinson-like lesions in mice by damaging neuronal mitochondria, revealing the potential neurotoxic effects of nanoplastic particles, and providing an important scientific basis
for the prevention, control and treatment of new pollutants microplastic pollution.

Figure 3: Research paper on the neurotoxicity mechanism of nanoplastics (J Hazard Mater, 2022, 430: 128459)

Figure 4 Neurotoxic mechanism of nanoplastics (J Hazard Mater, 2022, 430: 128459)

Translation of "Microplastics in Drinking Water" published

To provide guidance to governments and scientists around the world, the World Health Organization published Microplastics in drinking-water in 2019, which describes the contamination
of microplastics in drinking water around the world 。 Professor Huang Zhenlie's team was authorized by WHO to cooperate with the National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment to translate it into Chinese "Microplastics in Drinking Water" to help relevant sectors in China understand the existence of microplastics, a new type of pollutant in drinking water, arouse widespread concern about the current situation of microplastic pollution in drinking water, and explore appropriate response and control methods
.
Professor Huang Zhenlie is the main translator of the book, and Professor Yang Xingfen is the chief reviewer
of the book.
The publication of this book has further enhanced the academic influence
of the School of Public Health in the field of health effects of microplastics in China.

Figure 5 Publication "Microplastics in drinking water"

In recent years, the team of Professor Huang Zhenlie of the Department of Toxicology of the School of Public Health has continuously studied the health effects and mechanisms of microplastics, and has successively received a number of funds
such as the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Guangdong Provincial Key R&D Program, the Guangdong International Science and Technology Cooperation Project (the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area International Science and Technology Innovation Center) and the Guangdong Provincial Natural Science Foundation Project.

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