Baicalein Inhibited Amino‐modified Polystyrene Nanoplastics Induced Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells Pyroptosis by Reducing the Expression of NLRP3/Caspase‐1/Gasdermin D Pathway‐related Proteins

Amino-modified polystyrene nanoplastics (NH₂-NPs), generated through ultraviolet aging and photocatalytic processes, can lead to vascular damage. Baicalein is a flavonoid compound with anti-inflammatory properties that exerts a protective effect on blood vessels. However, whether baicalein can inhibit vascular damage induced by NH₂-NPs remains to be investigated. In this study, cell viability assay, fluorescence staining observation, and western blot techniques were used to evaluate the mechanisms after NH₂-NPs and baicalein exposure. The results showed that baicalein at concentrations of 12.5, 25, and 50 µM effectively inhibited the toxicity induced by NH₂-NPs. Besides, baicalein reduced reactive oxygen species levels to 226.63 ± 25.65%, 168.13 ± 14.45%, and 124.70 ± 18.04% at 12.5, 25, and 50 µM, respectively. The results of Hoechst/propidium iodide (PI) staining showed that 50 µM baicalein reduced the PI-positive rate to 12.42 ± 1.16%. Additionally, co-incubation with baicalein significantly reduced the expression of proteins in the pyroptosis pathway, including NLRP3, Cleaved Caspase-1, ASC, and Gasdermin D, effectively inhibiting the activation of pyroptosis induced by NH₂-NPs in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). This study elucidated the mechanism by which baicalein inhibited NH₂-NPs-induced pyroptosis in HUVECs, providing a reference for the prevention of vascular injury and utilization of natural product resources.