Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Comparative evaluation of molecular mechanisms triggered by differently functionalized polystyrene nanoplastics in human colon cell lines

Researchers compared the molecular mechanisms triggered by polystyrene nanoplastics with different surface functionalization in human colon cell lines. The study examined how surface chemistry of nanoplastic particles influences their biological interactions with intestinal cells, contributing to understanding of how nanoplastics may affect the human gastrointestinal system.

2026 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

The Toxic Effects of Polystyrene Microplastics on Colonic Epithelial NCM460 Cells

This study compared the effects of original versus pigment-marked polystyrene microplastics on NCM460 colonic epithelial cells at multiple concentrations, finding that both particle types caused dose-dependent cytotoxicity and that pigments added to facilitate tracking influenced cellular responses.

2025 MEDS Basic Medicine
Article Tier 2

Comparative evaluation of molecular mechanisms triggered by differently functionalized polystyrene nanoplastics in human colon cell lines

Researchers compared the molecular responses triggered by polystyrene nanoplastics with different surface chemical groups in human colon cell lines. The study investigated how the specific functionalization of nanoplastic surfaces influences the cellular and molecular pathways activated upon exposure in human intestinal tissue.

2026 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Functionalized polystyrene nanoplastics induce distinct toxicity and transcriptomic changes in human intestinal Caco-2 cells

Researchers exposed human intestinal Caco-2 cells to polystyrene nanoplastics with different surface functionalizations (plain, aminated, carboxylated) and assessed cytotoxicity, cellular uptake, and transcriptomic responses. Surface chemistry strongly determined both uptake efficiency and the pattern of gene expression changes, with aminated particles inducing the most severe cytotoxic and inflammatory responses.

2025 Microplastics and Nanoplastics
Article Tier 2

Comparative evaluation of molecular mechanisms triggered by differently functionalized polystyrene nanoplastics in human colon cell lines

Researchers compared molecular and cellular mechanisms triggered by differently surface-functionalized micro- and nanoplastics in human intestinal and liver cells, finding that surface chemistry strongly determines biological effects. Functionalized particles elicited distinct patterns of oxidative stress, inflammation, and membrane damage compared to unfunctionalized particles.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Preliminary Study on the Toxic Effects of Polystyrene Microplastics in Human Colorectal Cells

Researchers tested the toxic effects of polystyrene microplastics on human colorectal cells in the laboratory and found that both 80-nanometer and 500-nanometer particles significantly reduced cell viability and induced programmed cell death. The effects were size- and concentration-dependent, with smaller particles generally causing greater toxicity, providing experimental evidence for evaluating the intestinal health risks of microplastic exposure.

2026 Springer Link (Chiba Institute of Technology)
Article Tier 2

Comparative evaluation of molecular mechanisms triggered by differently functionalized polystyrene nanoplastics in human colon cell lines

Researchers compared molecular mechanisms triggered by differently functionalized micro- and nanoplastics in human cells, assessing how surface chemistry affects cellular responses. Surface functionalization significantly altered the toxicity profile of particles, with some coatings increasing and others decreasing inflammatory and oxidative responses.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Influence of the digestive process on intestinal toxicity of polystyrene microplastics as determined by in vitro Caco-2 models

Researchers studied how the human digestive process transforms polystyrene microplastics and affects their intestinal toxicity using in vitro Caco-2 cell models. The study found that digestion formed a corona on microplastic surfaces without altering their chemical composition, and that smaller particles (100 nm) showed higher toxicity than larger ones (5 micrometers) regardless of digestive treatment.

2020 Chemosphere 135 citations
Article Tier 2

Cytotoxic effects of polystyrene nanoplastics with different surface functionalization on human HepG2 cells

Researchers exposed human liver (HepG2) cells to 50 nm polystyrene nanoparticles with three different surface chemistries and found that amino-functionalized particles caused the greatest cytotoxicity and oxidative stress, demonstrating that surface charge and chemistry — not just particle size — determine nanoplastic harm to human cells.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 211 citations
Article Tier 2

Uptake and toxicity of polystyrene micro/nanoplastics in gastric cells: Effects of particle size and surface functionalization

Researchers evaluated the uptake and toxicity of polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics in human gastric cells, comparing different sizes and surface treatments. The study found that smaller 50-nanometer particles were taken up at significantly higher rates, with positively charged aminated particles being the most toxic, causing cytotoxicity at lower concentrations and higher rates of cell death.

2021 PLoS ONE 96 citations
Article Tier 2

Preliminary Study on the Toxic Effects of Polystyrene Microplastics in Human Colorectal Cells

Researchers evaluated the toxic effects of polystyrene microplastics in two sizes, 80 nanometers and 500 nanometers, on human colorectal cells in laboratory culture. They found that both sizes significantly reduced cell viability, induced cell death, and disrupted the normal cell cycle in a dose-dependent manner. The study provides preliminary evidence that microplastic particles at sizes relevant to human exposure may pose risks to intestinal cell health.

2026 E3S Web of Conferences
Article Tier 2

The effects of polystyrene microplastics on human intestinal cells health and function

This study examined how polystyrene microplastics affect normal and cancer intestinal cells, addressing a gap left by previous research that used only cancer cell lines and pristine plastics. The work evaluated microplastic toxicity under more realistic conditions including digestive system biotransformation, assessing effects on nutrient uptake and cellular function.

2022 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxicity of micromilimeter of polyvinly chloride and polystyrene sulfonic acid microplastics toward NCM460 cells

PVC and polystyrene sulfonic acid microplastics were tested on NCM460 human colonic epithelial cells at varying concentrations and exposure times, with CCK-8 assay results showing PS to be less toxic than PVC to intestinal cells—providing experimental evidence for differential intestinal risk assessment of these common polymers.

2025 MEDS Basic Medicine
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics as a potential environmental health factor: effects of polystyrene nanoparticles on human intestinal epithelial Caco-2 cells

Researchers tested how polystyrene nanoparticles interact with human intestinal cells in the lab. They found that the nanoparticles were readily taken up by the cells in a concentration-dependent manner, but no significant toxic effects were observed under the conditions tested. The study suggests that while nanoplastics can enter gut cells, their short-term toxicity at the tested levels appears limited.

2019 Environmental Science Nano 203 citations
Article Tier 2

Biological effects of polystyrene micro- and nano-plastics on human intestinal organoid-derived epithelial tissue models without and with M cells.

Researchers exposed human intestinal organoid-derived epithelial tissue models with and without M cells to polystyrene micro- and nano-plastics, finding that nano-plastics caused greater disruption of barrier integrity and uptake than micro-plastics, and that M cell-containing models showed enhanced particle translocation compared to standard epithelial models.

2023 Nanomedicine : nanotechnology, biology, and medicine
Article Tier 2

Effects of bisphenol A and nanoscale and microscale polystyrene plastic exposure on particle uptake and toxicity in human Caco-2 cells

Researchers studied how human intestinal Caco-2 cells take up polystyrene plastic particles of five different sizes ranging from 300 nanometers to 6 micrometers. The study found that smaller particles were taken up at higher rates and that co-exposure with bisphenol A increased cellular toxicity, suggesting that nanoscale plastics may pose a greater risk to human intestinal cells than larger microplastics.

2020 Chemosphere 267 citations
Article Tier 2

Are all nanoplastics equally neurotoxic? Influence of size and surface functionalization on the toxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics in human neuronal cells

Researchers tested four types of polystyrene nanoplastics on human neuronal cells and found that toxicity varied dramatically depending on particle surface chemistry. Particles with amine surface groups were the most harmful, significantly reducing cell survival and causing visible damage to cell structures, while unmodified particles showed minimal toxicity, suggesting that surface properties matter as much as size when assessing nanoplastic risks.

2025 Environmental Pollution 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Role of nanoparticle surface charge in their toxicity

This study examined how surface charge (carboxyl vs. amino functionalization) affects the toxicity of polystyrene nanoparticles formed during plastic degradation, noting that nanoparticle toxicity can differ substantially from bulk material. Results highlighted that surface chemistry is a critical determinant of nanoparticle behavior in biological environments.

2024 E3S Web of Conferences 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Noxic effects of polystyrene microparticles on murine macrophages and epithelial cells

Polystyrene microparticles induced cytotoxic effects in murine macrophages and intestinal epithelial cells at higher concentrations, triggering cell membrane damage, inflammatory cytokine release, and reduced phagocytic function, with smaller particles generally causing greater harm than larger ones at equivalent mass doses.

2021 Scientific Reports 59 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of polystyrene micro/nanoplastics on liver cells based on particle size, surface functionalization, concentration and exposure period

Researchers systematically studied the effects of polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics on human liver cells, varying particle size, surface chemistry, concentration, and exposure duration. They found that smaller particles were internalized more readily and that surface functionalization significantly influenced toxicity, with aminated particles causing the most cell damage. The study suggests that particle characteristics beyond just size play an important role in determining how micro- and nanoplastics affect human cells.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 78 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene Nanoplastics as Carriers of Metals. Interactions of Polystyrene Nanoparticles with Silver Nanoparticles and Silver Nitrate, and Their Effects on Human Intestinal Caco-2 Cells

Researchers investigated whether polystyrene nanoplastics can act as carriers of silver contaminants, testing their interactions with silver nanoparticles and silver nitrate and their combined effects on human intestinal Caco-2 cells. The study found that nanoplastics can adsorb silver compounds and that the combined exposure increased toxicity compared to either contaminant alone, suggesting nanoplastics may enhance metal uptake in the human gut.

2021 Biomolecules 65 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics induce more severe apoptosis through mitochondrial damage in Caco-2 cells compared to sub-micron plastics

Researchers found that 20 nm polystyrene nanoplastics cause more severe apoptosis in intestinal Caco-2 cells than 200 nm sub-micron plastics, disrupting cell membrane integrity at 80 ug/mL, localizing in lysosomes and mitochondria, and triggering mitochondria-mediated cell death pathways more intensively than larger particles. The study suggests nanoplastic size is a critical determinant of cytotoxicity in the gastrointestinal tract.

2022 Research Square (Research Square) 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of polyethylene nanoplastics on human intestinal cells

Researchers tested the effects of polyethylene nanoplastics on human intestinal cell lines and found that particles prepared with cationic chemical initiators caused significant cell damage, oxidative stress, and DNA damage over time. Cells that produce a protective mucus layer were largely unaffected, suggesting that mucus may serve as a natural defense. The findings indicate that the surface chemistry of nanoplastics, not just their size, plays a critical role in determining their toxicity to gut tissue.

2024 Nanotoxicology 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Size-dependent toxicity of polystyrene microplastics on the gastrointestinal tract: Oxidative stress related-DNA damage and potential carcinogenicity

Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics accumulate mainly in stomach tissue, where smaller nanoscale particles cause more severe damage than larger ones. The nanoplastics reduced antioxidant enzyme activity, increased DNA damage markers, and activated signaling pathways associated with cancer development. These size-dependent effects on the gastrointestinal tract suggest that the smallest plastic particles may pose the greatest risk to digestive health.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 74 citations