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Predicting Protein Corona Formation on Polylactic Acid Microplastics Pre- and Post-Photoaging: The Importance of Optimal Imputation Methods
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Researchers used machine learning to predict which proteins from human blood plasma attach to polylactic acid microplastics, both before and after the plastics are aged by sunlight. They found that a protein's shape and surface area were key factors determining whether it would stick to the plastic, and that UV aging changed how certain amino acids interacted with the particle surface. The study highlights the importance of understanding how the body's proteins coat microplastics, since this protein layer influences how the particles behave inside biological systems.
Micro-nanoplastics (MNPs) enter biological systems, forming a protein corona (PC) by adsorbing proteins from bodily fluids, influencing their biological effects. Mass spectrometry-based proteomics characterizes PC composition, and recent advances have leveraged protein amino acid sequence-derived features to predict PC formation using a supervised random forest (RF) classifier. However, mass spectrometry often generates substantial missing values (MVs), which may hinder the model’s predictive performance and the understanding of protein–particle interactions. This study assessed the impact of 20 imputation methods on RF classifier performance in predicting human plasma PC formation on polylactic acid (PLA) and photoaged PLA microplastics (MPs), considering their rising ecological and health concerns. The results showed that five left-censored imputation methods (Zero, Half-min, Min, QRILC, GSimp) achieved the best performance, with high accuracy (0.80–0.82), AUC (0.78–0.84), precision (0.78–0.80), and recall (0.97–0.98). Protein spatial features, including secondary sheet structure (negative) and absolute solvent-accessible area (positive), were identified as key factors influencing protein adsorption onto MPs. Additionally, UV aging increased the importance ranking of features frac_aa_S and fraction_exposed_exposed_S, highlighting altered protein–MPs interactions, likely through hydrogen bonding and electrostatic forces. This study demonstrates the potential of left-censored imputation methods in enhancing RF classifier performance for predicting PC formation.
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Unravelling protein corona formation on pristine and leached microplastics
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When microplastics enter biological fluids or protein-rich environments, proteins coat their surface to form a 'protein corona' that changes how the particles behave in living systems. This study explored how the physical and chemical properties of pristine versus weathered microplastics influence corona formation, finding that surface changes caused by environmental aging significantly alter protein binding. Understanding this process matters because the protein coat — not the plastic itself — is often what cells and organisms first encounter.
Unravelling protein corona formation on pristine and leached microplastics
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Researchers found that when microplastics encounter proteins in biological fluids, they get coated in a "protein corona" that depends heavily on the plastic's chemical additives, surface area, and how much it has been weathered in the environment. This coating changes how microplastics behave in the body, meaning toxicity studies need to account for these real-world surface changes.
Bovine Serum Albumin Bends Over Backward to Interact with Aged Plastics: A Model for Understanding Protein Attachment to Plastic Debris
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Scientists studied how proteins attach to plastic debris at different stages of sun-induced aging and found that weathered plastics attract significantly more protein binding and bacterial biofilm formation. The proteins physically reshape themselves to accommodate changes in the plastic's surface as it degrades. This matters because microplastics coated with biological material can more easily carry harmful bacteria and toxins through water systems and potentially into the human food chain.
Role of the Protein Corona in the Colloidal Behavior of Microplastics
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Researchers investigated how protein coronas form on polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics in biological media, finding that proteins act as surfactants that alter the colloidal behavior and stability of microplastics in aquatic environments.
Protein corona as a mediator in antibiotic adsorption onto microplastics: Mechanisms and implications
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Researchers investigated how protein coronas that form on microplastic surfaces mediate the adsorption of antibiotics in environmental settings. The study provides direct evidence that biological molecules on microplastics facilitate chemical interactions with antibiotics, creating complexes that may pose risks to human health through environmental exposure pathways.
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