Interaction of polystyrene nanoplastics and Helicobacter pylori modulates gastric cancer cellular functions and metastasis.

Polystyrene nanoplastics and Helicobacter pylori co-internalization in gastric cancer cells modulate metastasis and carcinogenesis processes, with PS-NPs alone promoting metastasis in vivo.

• Why it matters: Understanding how environmental pollutants like PS-NPs interact with bacterial infections such as H. pylori is crucial because both are linked to gastric cancer risk, yet their combined effects are not well understood.
• What they did: Researchers co-cultured PS-NPs with H. pylori and exposed gastric cancer cells in vitro, then established a liver metastasis model in mice using PS-NPs alone or combined with H. pylori, analyzing cellular and metastatic responses.
• The result: Findings show PS-NPs adhere to H. pylori, inhibit bacterial growth, and induce oxidative stress; co-exposure reduces cell viability and promotes apoptosis and autophagy, while in vivo, PS-NPs alone enhance metastasis and lesions, indicating complex interactions affecting carcinogenesis.