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Nanoplastics can change the secondary structure of proteins
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Researchers found that nanoplastic particles interact directly with proteins and fundamentally alter their secondary structure, effectively denaturing them in a manner that could cause cellular and ecological damage. The study presents the first direct evidence that plastic-protein interactions represent a distinct and potentially serious biological hazard beyond the previously studied effects of microplastic ingestion.
Submillimetre-sized plastic particles (microplastics and nanoplastics) of waste origin in the environment have been repeatedly suggested in recent years to have severe impact on living organisms. While the uptake of these materials has been unequivocally evidenced for animals, so far no adverse effects have been observed in the corresponding animal experiments. In this study, we show that nanoplastics are prone to interact with proteins, and this interaction fundamentally changes the functionally crucial secondary structure of these biomolecules, and thereby denaturates them. These results show, for the first time, that the interplay between plastic waste and biological matter can induce significant cellular and thereby ecological damages. Observing these remarkable microscopic level changes highlights the urgent need to extend investigating the effects of these materials through further modelling and molecular biological methods.
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Mechanistic Insights into Cellular and Molecular Basis of Protein‐Nanoplastic Interactions
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This review examines how nanoplastic particles interact with proteins at the cellular and molecular level, disrupting normal protein function and triggering oxidative stress, DNA damage, and cell death. Researchers found that nanoplastics alter the structural shape of important proteins, which helps explain their toxic effects on living organisms. The study also covers how understanding these protein-plastic interactions could inform both toxicity assessment and potential enzymatic plastic degradation strategies.
Evidence for Protein Misfolding in the Presence of Nanoplastics
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Researchers used molecular dynamics simulations to demonstrate that nanoplastic particles can induce protein misfolding in biological systems. The study represents an early model-based investigation of how nanoplastics may interfere with protein structure and function at the molecular level.
Plastic Nanoparticles Cause Proteome Stress and Aggregation by Compromising Cellular Protein Homeostasis ex vivo and in vivo.
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Researchers demonstrated for the first time that plastic nanoparticles can compromise cellular protein homeostasis ex vivo and in vivo, causing proteome stress and protein aggregation by disrupting the cellular machinery responsible for maintaining protein stability. The findings suggest that nanoplastic exposure poses risks beyond cytotoxicity, potentially triggering protein misfolding pathways relevant to neurodegenerative and other protein aggregation diseases.
Interfacial interactions between PMMA nanoplastics and a model globular protein: towards a molecular understanding of nanoplastic-driven biological dyshomeostasis
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Researchers investigated the molecular interactions between PMMA nanoplastics and a model globular protein to understand how nanoplastics disrupt normal protein function. They found that PMMA nanoplastics bind to and alter the structural conformation of the protein, potentially contributing to cellular protein dysfunction.
Spectroscopic investigations on the interaction between nano plastic and catalase on molecular level
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Researchers investigated how polystyrene nanoplastics interact with the enzyme catalase at different pH levels, finding that nanoplastics alter the protein's secondary structure and reduce its enzymatic activity through static quenching and hydrophobic binding mechanisms.
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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.