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The Other Side of Plastics: Bioplastic-Based Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery Systems in the Brain
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This review explores bioplastic-based nanoparticles as potential drug delivery vehicles for brain diseases, examining both their therapeutic promise and safety concerns. Researchers found that biodegradable polymers can pass through biological barriers and concentrate in specific tissues, making them useful for targeted drug delivery. However, the study cautions that the same properties enabling tissue penetration also raise concerns about long-term accumulation and unknown biological effects.
Plastics have changed human lives, finding a broad range of applications from packaging to medical devices. However, plastics can degrade into microscopic forms known as micro- and nanoplastics, which have raised concerns about their accumulation in the environment but mainly about the potential risk to human health. Recently, biodegradable plastic materials have been introduced on the market. These polymers are biodegradable but also bioresorbable and, indeed, are fundamental tools for drug formulations, thanks to their transient ability to pass through biological barriers and concentrate in specific tissues. However, this "other side" of bioplastics raises concerns about their toxic potential, in the form of micro- and nanoparticles, due to easier and faster tissue accumulation, with unknown long-term biological effects. This review aims to provide an update on bioplastic-based particles by analyzing the advantages and drawbacks of their potential use as components of innovative formulations for brain diseases. However, a critical analysis of the literature indicates the need for further studies to assess the safety of bioplastic micro- and nanoparticles despite they appear as promising tools for several nanomedicine applications.
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Neurotoxicity of nanoplastics: A review
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This review examines the growing body of evidence on how nanoplastics may affect the nervous system. Researchers summarized findings showing that nanoplastics can cross biological barriers, accumulate in brain tissue, and trigger oxidative stress and inflammation in nerve cells. The evidence indicates that nanoplastic exposure may contribute to neurotoxic effects, though more research is needed to fully understand the risks to human brain health.
Brain under siege: the role of micro and nanoplastics in neuroinflammation and oxidative stress
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This review examines emerging evidence that micro- and nanoplastics can cross the blood-brain barrier and accumulate in nervous tissue, potentially triggering neuroinflammation and oxidative stress. Researchers summarized findings showing these particles may act as neurotoxicants that contribute to synaptic dysfunction and pathological changes in brain cells. The study highlights the need for further research into how chronic plastic particle exposure may affect central nervous system health over time.
Biodegradable Nanoplastic: a Tool for Drug Delivery and Environmental Challenge
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This review discusses the dual nature of biodegradable nanoplastics — their promise as targeted drug delivery vehicles due to their controllable surface chemistry, versus the environmental concern of uncontrolled nanoplastic accumulation from biodegradable polymer degradation in ecosystems.
The neurotoxic threat of micro- and nanoplastics: evidence from In Vitro and In Vivo models
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This systematic review examined 26 studies showing that micro- and nanoplastics can cross into the brain, damage neurons, and trigger inflammation in lab and animal models. These findings raise concerns that long-term plastic exposure could contribute to neurological problems in humans, though more research is needed.
Micro- and nanoplastics in the central nervous system: Transport pathways, neurotoxicity, and implications for brain disorders
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This review summarizes how micro- and nanoplastics may move into and out of the brain, by crossing the blood-brain barrier, along nasal routes and through the glymphatic system. Small particles appear hard to eliminate from the brain. The authors discuss possible links to synapse injury, inflammation and cognitive decline, which remain unproven in people.
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