Fig. 5: PE QDs/NPs and PE N/MPs induce concentration-dependent LDs accumulation in VK2 E6/E7 cells. | Cell Death Discovery

Fig. 5: PE QDs/NPs and PE N/MPs induce concentration-dependent LDs accumulation in VK2 E6/E7 cells.

From: Polyethylene nano- and microplastics trigger metabolic stress responses in human vaginal epithelial cells

Fig. 5: PE QDs/NPs and PE N/MPs induce concentration-dependent LDs accumulation in VK2 E6/E7 cells.

A, B Representative images of Oil Red O staining of VK2 E6/E7 cells exposed for 48 h to PE QDs/NPs (25 and 50 μg/mL) and PE N/MPs (25, 50, and 250 μg/mL), respectively. Red dye deposition corresponds to intracellular lipid accumulation. Images were acquired at 40× magnification and 20x (for PE 250). Scale bar = 50 μm. C, D Quantification of LD content relative to controls. A significant, concentration-dependent increase in lipid droplet accumulation was observed following PE QD/NP and PE N/MP exposure, with the most pronounced effect at 250 μg/mL (PE 250), where nearly all cells showed abundant lipid deposition. Veh: cells exposed to Tween20 0.0025% solution; CTRL: unexposed cells. Asterisks indicate statistically significant differences between treated cells and the corresponding control (n = 3; *p < 0.05 two-tailed unpaired Student’s t-test. CTRL vs PE QDs 25: mean difference +31.27 units; 95% CI + 10.73 to +51.81; p = 0.0329. CTRL vs PE QDs 50: mean difference +38.75 units; 95% CI + 1.751 to +75.76; p = 0.0477. Veh vs PE 25: mean difference +17.14 units; 95% CI + 1.475 to +32.80; p = 0.0457. Veh vs PE 50: mean difference +35.17 units; 95% CI + 12.24 to +58.11; p = 0.0326. Veh vs PE 250: mean difference +142.9 units; 95% CI + 50.50 to +235.2; p = 0.0324).

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