Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Surfactant-free production of biomimetic giant unilamellar vesicles using PDMS-based microfluidics

Researchers developed a microfluidic method to produce giant lipid vesicles — artificial cell membranes — without the need for surfactants or other chemical additives, creating more biomimetic and biologically relevant model cells. The technique enables high-throughput production of vesicles across a wide size range and is compatible with encapsulating proteins, DNA, and living cells for synthetic biology research.

2021 Communications Chemistry 66 citations
Article Tier 2

A Physiological Microfluidic Blood–Brain‐Barrier Model for In Vitro Study of Nanoparticle Trafficking and Accumulation

Researchers developed a microfluidic blood-brain barrier model using human endothelial cells, astrocytes, and pericytes to compare nanoparticle transport, finding that extracellular vesicles crossed most efficiently and that ligand presentation and membrane composition — not size or stiffness — were the primary determinants of barrier penetration.

2026 Advanced Healthcare Materials
Article Tier 2

Microfluidic Devices: A Tool for Nanoparticle Synthesis and Performance Evaluation

This review covers how tiny chip-like devices called microfluidic systems can be used to manufacture nanoparticles with precise control and then test their safety and effectiveness in realistic lab environments. While focused on medical nanoparticles, the technology is also relevant to studying how nanoplastics behave in biological systems.

2023 ACS Nano 283 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoparticle-cell Membrane Interactions: Adsorption Kinetics and the Monolayer Response

This thesis investigated how engineered nanoparticles interact with cell membranes, including adsorption kinetics and how membranes respond to particle contact. Understanding nanoparticle-membrane interactions is directly relevant to how nanoplastics may enter cells and cause biological harm.

2019
Article Tier 2

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.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

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.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology
Article Tier 2

Reconstructed membrane vesicles from the microalga Dunaliella as a potential drug delivery system

Researchers reconstructed tiny bubble-like vesicles from microalgae cell membranes and tested their potential as drug delivery vehicles. The vesicles proved soft, water-friendly, and semi-permeable to certain molecules, pointing to a sustainable, ocean-inspired approach for transporting medicines or studying how materials move across biological membranes.

2022 Bioelectrochemistry 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Microparticle Assembly Pathways on Lipid Membranes

Researchers studied how short-ranged adhesive forces between microparticles and model lipid membranes drive membrane-mediated particle assembly, using confocal microscopy to observe attachment, clustering, and tubule formation relevant to understanding microplastic interactions with biological membranes.

2017 Biophysical Journal 32 citations
Article Tier 2

Fabrication of Biomimetic Cell Culture Membranes Using Robust and Reusable Nickel Micropillar Molds

Researchers developed a more reliable mass-production method for making porous PDMS membranes — thin flexible sheets used in organ-on-a-chip devices to mimic biological barriers — by using durable nickel micropillar molds that do not degrade or detach during repeated use. The membranes supported healthy human vascular endothelial cell growth and could be used to test how nanoparticles cross biological barriers, relevant to understanding nanoplastic transport in the body.

2024 BioChip Journal 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Entry of microparticles into giant lipid vesicles by optical tweezers

Using optical tweezers to apply precise forces, this study showed that microparticles can be pushed through lipid membrane vesicles — a model for cell membranes — when external mechanical force is applied and membrane tension is low. The findings provide mechanistic insight into how microplastics might physically cross cell membranes and enter cells, a key step in understanding potential cellular toxicity.

2023 Physical review. E 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Entry of Microparticles into Giant Lipid Vesicles by Optical Tweezers

Researchers used optical tweezers to study how microparticles cross lipid membrane barriers in giant vesicles, a model for cell membranes. Understanding how particles at the microscale penetrate biological membranes is directly relevant to how microplastics may enter cells and tissues in living organisms.

2023 arXiv (Cornell University)
Article Tier 2

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.

2023 Research Square (Research Square) 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microfluidic nanoparticle synthesis for oral solid dosage forms: A step toward clinical transition processes

Researchers used microfluidic technology to mass-produce drug-loaded nanoparticles and successfully incorporated them into oral tablets and pellets, showing the particles remained stable and effective through manufacturing — a step toward making nanoparticle-based medicines easier to produce and prescribe.

2024 International Journal of Pharmaceutics 4 citations
Article Tier 2

A paintbrush for delivery of nanoparticles and molecules to live cells with precise spatiotemporal control

Researchers developed a micropipette-based delivery system called microkiss that can precisely apply nanoparticles and molecules onto living cell membranes with micrometer-level spatial precision. The technique enables controlled studies of how cells respond to local stimulation, including membrane mobility and intercellular signaling. While focused on cell biology methods, the technology could support future research into how nanoscale plastic particles interact with biological membranes.

2024 Nature Methods 16 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2025 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

A Five-Stage Model of Nanoplastic Interaction with Biological Membranes

Researchers developed a five-stage conceptual model describing how nanoplastics interact with biological membranes, from initial surface corona acquisition through physical approach, adsorption, hydrophobic core penetration, and structural deformation. The model connects nanoplastic behavior to membrane stability outcomes — including stabilization, defect formation, or collapse — and links prebiotic vesicle behavior to modern cellular stress responses.

2025 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

A Five-Stage Model of Nanoplastic Interaction with Biological Membranes

Researchers developed a five-stage conceptual model describing how nanoplastics interact with biological membranes, from initial surface corona acquisition through physical approach, adsorption, hydrophobic core penetration, and structural deformation. The model connects nanoplastic behavior to membrane stability outcomes — including stabilization, defect formation, or collapse — and links prebiotic vesicle behavior to modern cellular stress responses.

2025 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Influence of electrode reactions on electroosmotic flow and ion transport in a microchannel

Researchers modeled how electrode reactions influence electroosmotic flow and ion transport in microfluidic channels. The study found that ignoring electrode effects leads to inaccurate predictions of fluid behavior in electrically driven microdevices. These insights improve the design of lab-on-chip systems used in analytical chemistry and biosensing.

2023 Research Square (Research Square)
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene-Induced Dehydration of Lipid Membranes: Insights from Atomistic Simulations

Atomistic molecular dynamics simulations revealed that polystyrene nanoplastics cause dehydration of lipid membranes upon contact, extracting water molecules from the bilayer interface in ways that could alter membrane structure and function relevant to cellular uptake of nanoplastic particles.

2025 The Journal of Physical Chemistry B 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Development of Microfluidic, Serum-Free Bronchial Epithelial Cells-on-a-Chip to Facilitate a More Realistic In vitro Testing of Nanoplastics

A microfluidic bronchial epithelial cell-on-a-chip model was developed to test nanoplastic toxicity under dynamic flow conditions, with polystyrene nanoplastics found to reduce barrier integrity and trigger inflammatory signaling in a way not fully captured by conventional static cell culture systems.

2021 Frontiers in Toxicology 16 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2025 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

A physiological microfluidic blood-brain-barrier model for in vitro study of nanoparticle trafficking and accumulation

Researchers developed a physiological microfluidic blood-brain barrier model using human brain endothelial cells in direct contact with astrocytes and pericytes in an extracellular matrix. They used the model to study how nanoparticles including nanoplastics traffic across the barrier, finding that particle type and size influenced transcytosis rates.

2025
Article Tier 2

Dipolar Nanoparticle Interacting with a Lipid Membrane

Researchers used molecular dynamics simulation to investigate how the electric dipole moment of conductive nanoparticles affects their interaction with lipid bilayer membranes, finding that dipole moment induces stronger electrostatic attraction and alters membrane penetration dynamics relevant to drug delivery and nanomedicine.

2025
Article Tier 2

Synergistic Effects of Microplastics and Marine Pollutants on the Destabilization of Lipid Bilayers

Using computer simulations, this study showed that microplastics combined with common marine pollutants can destabilize the lipid membranes that protect our cells. The pollutants attached to microplastic surfaces were more effective at penetrating cell membranes than the pollutants alone. This means microplastics may act as carriers that help harmful chemicals get into cells more easily, increasing their toxic effects.

2024 The Journal of Physical Chemistry B 10 citations