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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Micelles and Nanoplastics as Silent Physical Equalizers of Life Why Non‑Toxic Systems May Represent a Fundamental Environmental Threat
ClearMicelles and Nanoplastics as Silent Physical Equalizers of Life Why Non‑Toxic Systems May Represent a Fundamental Environmental Threat
Researchers propose that micelles and nanoplastics, though chemically non-toxic, may represent a fundamental environmental threat by physically destabilizing biological lipid membranes. The study suggests these ubiquitous particles act as mobile structures that progressively disrupt cell interfaces and transport hydrophobic compounds, potentially altering the basic physical rules governing microbial and cellular life in aquatic environments.
Nanoplastics as a return to the prebiotic dimensional regime: A dimensional perspective on interactions with biological membranes
This conceptual paper argues that nanoplastics are environmentally significant not primarily because of chemical toxicity, but because their nanoscale dimensions place them in the same physical regime as prebiotic structures that interact directly with biological membranes. The author proposes that membrane disruption, rather than chemical toxicity, is the key mechanism of nanoplastic harm.
Nanoplastics as a return to the prebiotic dimensional regime: A dimensional perspective on interactions with biological membranes
This paper offers a dimensional perspective on nanoplastic-membrane interactions, arguing that nanoplastics occupy the same size range as early prebiotic structures and can physically integrate with or disrupt lipid bilayers. The framework suggests that physical membrane perturbation — independent of chemical toxicity — is central to nanoplastic health risks.
Synergistic effects of marine pollutants and microplastics on the destabilization of lipid bilayers
Researchers found that marine pollutants such as chemical solvents synergistically amplify the mechanical stress that microplastic particles exert on lipid bilayer membranes, with microplastics acting as vectors that facilitate solvent penetration into membrane cores and potentially disrupting cellular integrity.
Nanoplastics as a return to the prebiotic dimensional regime: A dimensional perspective on interactions with biological membranes
This paper proposed a dimensional framework arguing that nanoplastics' relevance lies in their physical size — which places them in the same regime as prebiotic membrane structures — rather than chemical toxicity. The author argues this perspective reframes how nanoplastic health risks should be assessed and studied.
Microplastics destabilize lipid membranes by mechanical stretching
Researchers discovered a physical mechanism by which microplastics can damage cell membranes through mechanical stretching, even without chemical toxicity. Using model lipid membranes, they showed that microplastic particles partially engulfed by cell membranes create mechanical tension that destabilizes the membrane structure. The study reveals a fundamental way that microplastics could harm living cells, suggesting that physical interactions at the cellular level may be just as important as chemical effects.
Synergistic effects of marine pollutants and microplastics on the destabilization of lipid bilayers
Researchers found that marine pollutants and microplastics act synergistically to destabilize lipid bilayers, suggesting that the combined presence of plastic particles and co-adsorbed chemicals may amplify cellular membrane damage beyond what either stressor causes alone.
Synergistic effects of marine pollutants and microplastics on the destabilization of lipid bilayers
Researchers investigated synergistic effects of marine pollutants combined with microplastics on lipid bilayer stability using biophysical methods, finding that microplastics — which can be present in human blood and organs — destabilize lipid membranes more severely in combination with co-occurring marine pollutants than either contaminant alone.
Nanoplastic ShapeEffects on Lipid Bilayer Permeabilization
Researchers investigated how nanoplastic shape affects lipid bilayer permeabilisation, demonstrating that morphologically diverse environmental nanoplastics interact with cell membranes in ways that differ substantially from the uniform polystyrene nanospheres typically used in laboratory studies.
Recent advances in toxicological research of nanoplastics in the environment: A review
Researchers systematically reviewed nanoplastic toxicology, finding that surface charge and particle size are the dominant determinants of harm — positively charged and smaller particles penetrate cell membranes more readily — and that adsorbed contaminants released inside organisms often pose greater toxicological risks than the nanoplastic particles themselves.
Introduction: How to Begin Studying Membranes and Their Reactions to Inert Particles
This introductory text describes a structured approach to studying biological membrane responses to inert particles such as microplastics, dust, and metal nanoparticles. The framework emphasizes physical perturbation of membrane tension and lipid organization as the fundamental mechanism of particle-induced cellular harm.
Lipid mediated colloidal interactions
This physics thesis studied lipid-mediated forces between protein-embedded membranes using micron-sized colloidal particles as probes. It is a biophysics paper with no direct connection to microplastics or environmental contamination.
Nanoplastic Shape Effects on Lipid Bilayer Permeabilization
Researchers investigated how nanoplastic shape and lipid bilayer composition jointly influence particle-membrane interactions, finding that environmentally realistic irregular nanoplastic morphologies disrupt lipid membranes differently than the pristine polystyrene nanospheres used in most prior studies.
Polystyrene and polyethylene perturb the structure of membrane: An experimental and computational study
Researchers combined cell experiments, molecular dynamics simulations, and toxicogenomic analysis to show that polystyrene and polyethylene nanoplastics — individually and as a mixture — physically penetrate cell membranes and form pores, with the mixture producing stronger disruption than either polymer alone.
Membrane fusion as a team effort
This paper discusses nanoplastics as an emerging environmental concern with key knowledge gaps, noting that nanoplastics are believed to be more toxic than larger microplastics because of their ability to penetrate biological barriers. Better analytical methods are needed to understand the true scale of nanoplastic contamination and its health implications.
Introduction: How to Begin Studying Membranes and Their Reactions to Inert Particles
This methodological introduction outlined principles for studying how biological membranes respond to inert particle exposure, including microplastics and nanoparticles. The work emphasizes membrane physics as a lens through which to understand particle toxicity independent of chemical composition.
Unraveling the toxicity mechanisms of nanoplastics with various surface modifications on Skeletonema costatum: Cellular and molecular perspectives
Researchers examined how nanoplastics with different surface coatings affect a common marine microalga at both the cellular and molecular level. They found that surface modifications significantly influenced the toxicity of the particles, with some coatings causing greater damage to cell membranes and photosynthesis. The study highlights that the chemical surface properties of nanoplastics, not just their size, play a key role in determining their environmental impact.
Ageing Affects the Mechanical Interactionbetween Microplastics and Lipid Bilayers
Researchers found that as polyethylene microplastics age and become more hydrophilic, they adhere more strongly to lipid bilayers and cause greater membrane stretching, suggesting that weathered microplastics in the environment may pose higher biological risks than fresh particles.
New insights in to the environmental behavior and ecological toxicity of microplastics
This review provides new insights into how microplastics behave in the environment and their toxic effects on living organisms. Microplastics can absorb and carry other pollutants, making them more dangerous than the plastic alone, and their effects vary based on size, shape, and chemical composition. The review highlights that smaller particles, especially nanoplastics, pose the greatest risk because they can cross biological barriers and enter cells.
Micro-and Nanoplastic-Induced Biochemical Toxicity: Emerging Mechanisms and Health Risks Across Biological Systems
This comprehensive review synthesizes current understanding of how micro- and nanoplastics cause biochemical toxicity across biological systems, from plants and invertebrates to vertebrates and humans. Key mechanisms include oxidative stress, membrane disruption, immune activation, genotoxicity, endocrine disruption, and microbiome perturbation, all modulated by particle size, shape, and surface chemistry. The authors highlight critical gaps in standardization, chronic low-dose effect data, and the need for translatable biomarkers for risk assessment.
Nanoplastics in biological systems: What laboratory mechanisms reveal about real-world toxicity
Researchers developed a mechanistic-scaling framework reconciling high-dose laboratory toxicity data for nanoplastics with low-dose environmental realities, arguing that core injury pathways—oxidative stress, lysosomal rupture, mitochondrial dysfunction—remain active at environmental concentrations and are amplified by particle aging and co-contaminant loading.
Key mechanisms of micro- and nanoplastic (MNP) toxicity across taxonomic groups
This review examines the key ways micro- and nanoplastics cause biological harm across different types of organisms, from bacteria to humans. Researchers identified several common toxicity mechanisms including cell membrane damage, reactive oxygen species generation, DNA damage, and disruption of cellular structures like lysosomes and mitochondria. The study found that toxicity depends heavily on particle size, surface characteristics, and polymer type, and that human cell studies provide especially valuable insights into potential health risks.
Microplastics as Silent Invaders: A Multiscale Review of their Toxicological Effects and Contaminant Interactions in Terrestrial and Aquatic Environments
This multiscale review evaluated the toxicological effects of microplastics at molecular, cellular, and ecosystem levels in both terrestrial and aquatic environments. Special emphasis was placed on microplastics as vectors for heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants, and pharmaceuticals, which amplify their toxicity beyond direct physical effects.
Effects of polyethylene microplastics on cell membranes: A combined study of experiments and molecular dynamics simulations
Researchers combined laboratory experiments with molecular dynamics simulations to study how polyethylene microplastics interact with cell membranes. They found that nanoscale plastic particles can penetrate and disrupt cell membrane structure, causing leakage and potentially leading to cell damage. The study provides a detailed molecular-level understanding of one of the fundamental ways microplastics may harm living cells.