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A Trojan horse: micro- and nano-plastics with a bio-corona
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This review paper discusses how tiny plastic particles called micro- and nanoplastics pick up coatings of other substances, known as bio-coronas, when inside living organisms. The authors explain that this coating could carry chemicals like hormones into the body, potentially disrupting normal biological processes, and argue this topic matters for public health research.
Recent data indicate plastics and associated chemicals pose risks to all forms of life - from plants, microbes, and animals to humans and their developing embryos. Plastics decompose over time into Micro and Nanoplastics (MNPs), which are present as particles or fibrils. MNPs are surrounded by other substances through hydrophobic and hydrophilic interactions, known as eco-coronas in the environment, and within living organisms as bio-coronas. We highlight key biological phenomena that may help us better understand the unique and complex impact of a Trojan horse-like exposure to the bio-corona’s cargo of MNPs. These could modify, enhance, or inhibit hormones and other active substances essential for homeostasis. The investigation of MNPs with bio-corona is of high public health relevance.
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Coronas of micro/nano plastics: a key determinant in their risk assessments
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This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics develop surface coatings called coronas when they interact with biological and environmental substances. These corona layers, formed from proteins, organic matter, and other materials, can significantly change how plastic particles behave in the body and environment, affecting their uptake, distribution, and toxicity. The study suggests that understanding these surface coatings is essential for accurately assessing the real-world risks of plastic particle exposure.
Toxicity of micro/nanoplastics in the environment: Roles of plastisphere and eco-corona
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This review examines how microplastics and nanoplastics gain biological coatings in the environment: larger microplastics develop a "plastisphere" of microorganisms on their surface, while smaller nanoplastics get wrapped in proteins and organic matter forming an "eco-corona." Both coatings change how toxic the particles are to living organisms and humans. The review highlights that studying plastic particles without these coatings, as most lab experiments do, may underestimate or mischaracterize their real-world health risks.
The Composition of the Eco-corona Acquired by Micro- and Nanoscale Plastics Impacts on their Ecotoxicity and Interactions with Co-pollutants
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This review examines how the 'eco-corona' — a layer of environmental biomolecules adsorbing onto plastic particle surfaces — alters the toxicity, transport, and interaction with co-pollutants of micro- and nanoplastics, emphasizing that this biological coating fundamentally changes how plastics behave in living organisms.
Ecotoxicological significance of bio-corona formation on micro/nanoplastics in aquatic organisms
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This review examined the ecotoxicological significance of bio-corona formation on micro- and nanoplastics in aquatic organisms, exploring how protein and biomolecule coatings alter the bioavailability, toxicity, and environmental fate of plastic particles.
Interactions of Micro- and Nanoplastics with Biomolecules: From Public Health to Protein Corona Effect and Beyond
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This review summarizes how micro- and nanoplastics interact with biological molecules in the body, including cell membranes and proteins. These particles can cause membranes to thicken and form pores, and they attract a coating of proteins (called a protein corona) that changes how the body responds to them, potentially increasing inflammation, oxidative stress, and disruption of hormone systems.
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