Characterizing Micro and Nanoplastic Interactions with Biological Materials

Plastic production and use has grown tremendously since the 1970’s and shows no sign of slowing down. Synthesized from non-renewable fossil fuels, plastics are not biodegradable, and over time, break down into micro (<5mm) and nanoplastic particles (<1μm) and accumulate in the environment. Although research has established micro and nanoplastics as environmental contaminants, less is known about their effects on biological tissues and human health. Our research sought to explore the interactions of micro and nanoplastics with human cheek cells. We began by establishing a method of generating micro and nanoplastics of polyethylene and polystyrene, widely used plastics found in plastic watter bottles and styrafoam packaging material, respectively. We then isolated our own cheek cells and combined these cheek cells with our micro and nanoplastic solutions. We observed significant adsorption and coagulation between polyethylene and polystyrene and our cheek cells. We concluded that plastics we are ingesting on a daily basis have the potential to bind to and alter the physiology of our body cells. We hope this work encourages future investigation on the harmful effects of micro and nanoplastics and encourages individual consumers to eliminate as much plastic use in their life as possible. Rutgers University Interdisciplinary Research Teams Program NSF Grant 2203934 This abstract was presented at the American Physiology Summit 2025 and is only available in HTML format. There is no downloadable file or PDF version. The Physiology editorial board was not involved in the peer review process.