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Papers
193 resultsShowing papers from Sapienza University of Rome
ClearCan Clear Aligners Release Microplastics That Impact the Patient’s Overall Health? A Systematic Review
This systematic review investigates whether clear orthodontic aligners release microplastics during use in the mouth. The findings raise concerns about a previously overlooked source of direct microplastic exposure, since millions of people wear these plastic devices against their teeth and gums for months or years at a time.
Unveiling the adsorption mechanism of perfluorooctane sulfonate onto polypropylene nanoplastics: A combined theoretical and experimental investigation
Researchers combined computer simulations with lab experiments to understand how PFOS, a widespread "forever chemical," attaches to polypropylene nanoplastic particles in water. They found that PFOS binds readily to the plastic surface, and the resulting combination moves more easily through water than the plastic particle alone, making it potentially more dangerous. Changes in water acidity (pH) can affect how much PFOS sticks to the plastic, influencing how these pollutants travel together through the environment.
Citrus limon Essential Oil: Chemical Composition and Selected Biological Properties Focusing on the Antimicrobial (In Vitro, In Situ), Antibiofilm, Insecticidal Activity and Preservative Effect against Salmonella enterica Inoculated in Carrot
This study analyzed the chemical makeup and antimicrobial properties of lemon essential oil, finding it effective against various harmful bacteria and their protective biofilms. While not directly related to microplastics, natural antimicrobial compounds are being explored as alternatives to synthetic preservatives that can contribute to plastic-packaged food contamination.
Artificial plasticenta: how polystyrene nanoplastics affect in-vitro cultured human trophoblast cells
This lab study exposed placental cells (trophoblasts) to polystyrene nanoplastics and found signs of cell damage, metabolic stress, and structural breakdown under the microscope. The findings suggest that plastic nanoparticles could interfere with placental function during pregnancy, which raises concerns about potential effects on fetal development from everyday environmental plastic exposure.
Nanomedicines and nanocarriers in clinical trials: surfing through regulatory requirements and physico-chemical critical quality attributes
Researchers reviewed the regulatory landscape and critical quality attributes for nanomedicines in clinical trials, finding that increasing structural complexity and gaps in international guidelines create inconsistencies in how nanoparticle drugs are characterized and approved, potentially slowing therapeutic development.
Polyethylene Micro/Nanoplastics Exposure Induces Epithelial–Mesenchymal Transition in Human Bronchial and Alveolar Epithelial Cells
When human lung cells were exposed to polyethylene micro- and nanoplastics (the most common type of plastic pollution), the cells underwent a transformation called epithelial-mesenchymal transition, where they changed shape, reorganized their internal structure, and gained increased ability to migrate. This cellular change is a known early step in both lung fibrosis and cancer development, suggesting that inhaling polyethylene plastics could contribute to serious lung diseases.
Microplastic in Drinking Water: A Pilot Study
A pilot study tested drinking water from various sources in Italy for microplastic contamination and found particle levels ranging from undetectable to about 5 particles per liter. The most common plastics found were polyethylene, polypropylene, and PET, ranging from 30 to 100 micrometers in size. Notably, water from water kiosks was free of microplastics, suggesting that some water distribution methods may offer better protection against this type of contamination.
Potential Effects of Environmental and Occupational Exposure to Microplastics: An Overview of Air Contamination
This review summarizes what is known about airborne microplastics in both general and workplace environments, noting that indoor concentrations often exceed outdoor levels. While the WHO has called for more research on health effects, toxicity studies remain limited and not easily comparable due to a lack of standardized methods -- meaning the full health risks of breathing in microplastics are still unclear.
Waste Management of Wind Turbine Blades: A Comprehensive Review on Available Recycling Technologies with A Focus on Overcoming Potential Environmental Hazards Caused by Microplastic Production
This review explores recycling technologies for wind turbine blades and the environmental hazards from microplastic particles released during their breakdown. As wind energy expands rapidly, the growing volume of blade waste containing fiberglass and resins creates a new source of microplastic pollution that could affect both ecosystems and human health if not properly managed.
Plastic breath: Quantification of microplastics and polymer additives in airborne particles
Researchers measured microplastics and their chemical additives in airborne dust at an electronics recycling plant, identifying ten different plastic types and eight classes of additives including flame retardants and phthalates. The findings confirm that people can inhale microplastics along with potentially harmful chemicals at work, raising concerns about respiratory and overall health risks from airborne plastic pollution.
Microplastics, microfibers and associated microbiota biofilm analysis in seawater, a case study from the Vesuvian Coast, southern Italy
Researchers analyzed microplastics and microfibers in seawater along the Vesuvian Coast in Italy and characterized the microorganisms growing on their surfaces, known as the plastisphere. They identified potentially harmful bacteria colonizing the plastic particles, including species that could threaten both marine ecosystems and human health. The study highlights that microplastics in the ocean are not just a pollution problem but also serve as vehicles for spreading disease-causing microorganisms.
Inhalation of nanoplastics in the mouse model: Tissue bio-distribution and effects on the olfactory system
Mice that inhaled polystyrene nanoplastics for one week accumulated the particles in their brains, lungs, fat tissue, and testicles. Although the particles cleared from most tissues within a month, the mice suffered lasting damage to their sense of smell, with reduced brain cell function and signs of inflammation in the olfactory region. This is the first study to show that inhaled nanoplastics can impair the sense of smell and trigger long-term brain changes, even after the particles are gone.
Intestinal permeability, food antigens and the microbiome: a multifaceted perspective
This review summarizes how a leaky gut barrier, caused by factors like Western diets, pollution, and infections, can trigger chronic diseases including celiac disease, food allergies, and irritable bowel syndrome. The gut lining, microbiome, and immune system all work together to maintain health, but environmental disruptions can throw this balance off. This is relevant to microplastics research because studies have shown that microplastic exposure can damage the gut barrier and alter the microbiome in similar ways.
Urinary Metabolomics of Plastic Manufacturing Workers: A Pilot Study
In this pilot study, researchers used a metabolomics approach to analyze urine samples from plastic manufacturing workers and found distinct metabolic changes compared to non-exposed individuals. The workers showed altered metabolic profiles that may reflect the body's response to chronic exposure to plastic particles and chemicals in the workplace. While preliminary, the findings suggest that occupational microplastic exposure leaves measurable biological signatures that could serve as early warning markers for health effects.
Deeply in Plasticenta: Presence of Microplastics in the Intracellular Compartment of Human Placentas
Researchers analyzed human placenta samples and for the first time located microplastics within the intracellular compartment of placental tissue, not just on the surface. They found various polymer types including polyethylene and polypropylene embedded inside placental cells. The discovery that microplastics penetrate into the interior of human cells raises new questions about their potential biological effects during pregnancy.
Microplastics in snow of a high mountain national park: El Teide, Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain)
Researchers collected 63 snow samples from El Teide National Park in Tenerife, a high-altitude site over 2,000 meters above sea level, and found microplastics present in the snow. The study compared samples from accessible tourist areas with remote locations, helping to distinguish between local human activity and long-distance atmospheric transport as sources of contamination. The findings demonstrate that microplastics can reach even remote mountain environments through the atmosphere.
Assessing the Impact of Polyethylene Nano/Microplastic Exposure on Human Vaginal Keratinocytes
Researchers exposed human vaginal skin cells to polyethylene micro and nanoplastics similar to what might be released from disposable period products. At high concentrations, the plastic particles were taken up by cells and caused cell death, inflammation, and oxidative stress. This is the first study to address this specific exposure route, highlighting a potential women's health concern from microplastics in menstrual products.
From food-to-human microplastics and nanoplastics exposure and health effects: A review on food, animal and human monitoring data
This review summarizes existing research on how microplastics and nanoplastics move from food into animal and human tissues, and what health effects they may cause. Studies show these particles have been found accumulating in organs including the liver, lungs, placenta, and blood, with their size and chemical properties determining where they end up in the body. The authors stress the need for standardized testing methods and human biomonitoring to better understand the real health burden of microplastics in our food supply.
Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) and Human Health: Effects on Metabolism, Diabetes and Cancer
This review by a panel of Italian medical experts examines how polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), flame retardant chemicals commonly found in plastics and electronics, affect human metabolism and may contribute to diabetes and cancer. PBDEs persist in the environment and accumulate in human tissues, where they disrupt hormone signaling and activate pathways linked to metabolic disease and tumor growth. These chemicals are relevant to microplastic concerns because they leach from plastic products and can be carried into the body on microplastic surfaces.
Protein corona alleviates adverse biological effects of nanoplastics in breast cancer cells
Scientists discovered that when nanoplastics enter human blood, proteins naturally coat their surface forming a "protein corona," and this coating actually reduces some of the harmful effects of the plastics on breast cancer cells. Without the protein coating, nanoplastics stuck to cell membranes and disrupted important signaling pathways, but coated particles were safely captured inside cellular compartments. This finding suggests that the body may have some natural defense against nanoplastics in the bloodstream, though the long-term effects of this process remain unknown.
Toxicity evaluation of polypropylene microplastic on marine microcrustacean Artemia salina: An analysis of implications and vulnerability
Researchers prepared polypropylene microplastics and tested their toxic effects on the marine crustacean Artemia salina at different life stages. They found that the particles accumulated in the organisms' digestive tracts and caused significant mortality, particularly in the earliest developmental stages. The study demonstrates that polypropylene microplastics pose a real threat to small marine organisms that form the base of ocean food webs.
Multi-specific assessment of microplastic ingestion by Antarctic fish from the Ross Sea (Southern Ocean)
Researchers examined 145 fish from seven species in Antarctica's Ross Sea and found microplastic contamination in about one-third of all individuals, including three species never previously tested. The study, one of the largest assessments of microplastic ingestion by Antarctic fish to date, found contamination across multiple important ecological locations. The findings demonstrate that microplastic pollution has reached even the most remote marine ecosystems on Earth.
Editorial: 74th annual meeting of the Italian society of physiology: breakthroughs and key discoveries
This editorial summarizing the 74th Italian Society of Physiology meeting highlights research on how environmental contaminants including microplastics affect physiological systems. Among the findings presented, studies showed that microplastic exposure can trigger inflammatory responses and cellular stress in various tissue types, contributing to the growing body of evidence on microplastics' biological effects.
Preliminary Observations on the Use of Microplastics by Aquatic Larvae of the Moth Cataclysta lemnata (Linnaeus, 1758)
Researchers observed for the first time that aquatic moth larvae use microplastic particles to build their protective cases, incorporating various plastic polymers alongside natural plant material. The larvae also chewed through PVC sheets, and about half of the exposed larvae successfully completed their development into adult moths. The findings suggest that microplastics may be entering insect life cycles in ways that could connect aquatic and land-based ecosystems.