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Nanoplastics as a Potential Environmental Health Factor: From Molecular Interaction to Altered Cellular Function and Human Diseases
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This review examined how nanoplastics — particularly polystyrene — interact with cells at the molecular level, potentially causing lasting changes that could contribute to developmental problems and degenerative disease. The study highlights growing concerns about nanoplastics as an emerging environmental health risk given their widespread presence in food, water, and air.
Abstract The problem of plastic pollution is becoming increasingly important and has attracted great interest in the last few years. Polystyrene is one of the most used plastic types in the food and beverage industry, medical and laboratory devices. Increased plastic production and increased food, water, and air pollution and contact with nanoplastics may cause long-lasting changes and predispose to adverse developmental and degenerative diseases through mechanisms that are not yet understood. The aim of this article is to provide an overview of current knowledge to plastics, especially polystyrene, and their impact on the human health. In particular, we discuss the major sources of plastic waste, polystyrene surface chemistry, as well as mechanisms by which plastics degrade in the environment. We also provide an insight into cellular uptake mechanism and the molecular interaction of polystyrene nanoparticles and human cells. This review offers scientists and clinicians useful information and could be used as a starting point for more in-depth analysis of nanoplastics as a potential environmental health factor.
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Unmasking the Invisible Threat: Biological Impacts and Mechanisms of Polystyrene Nanoplastics on Cells
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This review summarizes how polystyrene nanoplastics, tiny plastic particles found throughout the environment, damage cells through multiple pathways including oxidative stress, DNA damage, inflammation, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Nanoplastics can trigger several forms of cell death and disrupt normal cell processes like autophagy (the cell's recycling system). The findings raise concerns about long-term human health effects from chronic exposure to these nearly invisible plastic particles.
Cellular responses to micro- and nanoplastics exposure: mechanisms and pathophysiological implications
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This review summarizes existing research on how tiny plastic particles interact with cells in lab and animal studies, finding repeated signs of cell stress, including damage to cell structures and inflammation. Studies also detected plastic material in human blood and tissue samples, but the review states this does not prove the particles cause specific diseases.
Emergence of Nanoplastic in the Environment and Possible Impact on Human Health
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This review examines how plastic materials fragment into nanoplastics and potentially accumulate in the environment, with a focus on their possible impacts on human health. Researchers discuss how these tiny particles can enter the human body through ingestion, inhalation, and skin contact, and describe how they interact with cells at the molecular level. The study highlights that nanoplastics behave very differently from larger plastics due to their size and surface properties, raising concerns that warrant further investigation.
Interfacial Interactions between Nanoplastics and Biological Systems: toward an Atomic and Molecular Understanding of Plastics-Driven Biological Dyshomeostasis
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This study investigated how nanoplastics interact with biological molecules at the atomic level, finding that polystyrene nanoplastics can destroy the structure of proteins, disrupt cell membranes, and damage DNA. The nanoplastics essentially unfolded a milk protein, punched holes in cell membranes, and broke DNA strands. These findings help explain at a fundamental level how nanoplastics found in human blood, milk, and tissues could cause the inflammation and disease seen in other studies.
Effects of Nanoplastics on Human Health: A Comprehensive Study
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This comprehensive review examines the diverse health effects of nanoplastics, drawing on toxicology, environmental science, and epidemiology to document how these particles interact with human biological systems. The authors conclude that nanoplastics represent a growing public health concern requiring further investigation.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.