Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Fluorescent plastic nanoparticles to track their interaction and fate in physiological environments

This study developed fluorescently labeled plastic nanoparticles made from PET, polypropylene, and polystyrene that can be tracked in biological environments to study how nanoplastics are taken up and processed by living organisms. Having trackable model nanoplastics is an important tool for understanding how these particles move through tissues and food chains.

2020 Environmental Science Nano 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Daphnia magna uptake and excretion of luminescence‐labelled polystyrene nanoparticle as visualized by high sensitivity real-time optical imaging

Researchers used lanthanide-labeled polystyrene nanoparticles and time-gated imaging to track nanoplastic uptake and excretion in live Daphnia magna in real time, finding that the water flea accumulated roughly 12 nanograms of nanoplastics per individual after 24 hours and that a portion migrated into the circulatory system before being slowly excreted over 48 hours.

2023 Chemosphere 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Challenges in assessing ecological and health risks of microplastics and nanoplastics: tracking their dynamics in living organisms

Researchers proposed a new method for tracking micro- and nanoplastics in living organisms using fluorescent monomers built directly into the plastic particles during synthesis. Current detection methods require destructive sampling and only provide static snapshots, missing the real-time movement of particles through biological systems. This fluorescent monomer approach is designed to enable continuous, stable imaging of plastic particles as they move through complex biological environments.

2026 New Contaminants
Article Tier 2

Using visualization techniques to assess the accumulation of nanoplastics with varying surface modifications

Researchers synthesized fluorescent PMMA nanoplastic particles to study cellular uptake and biodistribution in skin cells and zebrafish embryos, finding that PMMA nanoparticles can enter embryos and accumulate in larval bodies, and highlighting concerns that surface modifications on commercial polystyrene particles may produce misleading results in nanoplastic toxicity studies.

2023 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Making fluorescent nylon, polypropylene, and polystyrene microplastics for in-vivo and in-vitro imaging

Researchers developed methods for making fluorescent nylon, polypropylene, and polystyrene microplastics by incorporating fluorescent dyes during fabrication, enabling reliable tracking in live-cell and in vivo imaging studies. The fluorescent MPs retained their physical properties while allowing visualization of cellular uptake, tissue distribution, and biological interactions.

2025 Preprints.org
Article Tier 2

Uptake Routes and Biodistribution of Polystyrene Nanoplastics on Zebrafish Larvae and Toxic Effects on Development

Researchers exposed zebrafish embryos and larvae to amino-modified polystyrene nanoplastics to study uptake routes and biodistribution. The study found that nanoplastics accumulated in target organs and caused toxic developmental effects, providing evidence that these tiny plastic fragments can penetrate biological barriers and interfere with normal development in aquatic organisms.

2023 Fishes 17 citations
Article Tier 2

The toxic differentiation of micro- and nanoplastics verified by gene-edited fluorescent Caenorhabditis elegans

Researchers used gene-edited fluorescent C. elegans to demonstrate that nanoplastic toxicity is size- and charge-dependent, with 100 nm positively charged polystyrene particles causing the greatest harm through intestinal accumulation and oxidative stress.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Fluorescent carbon dot embedded polystyrene: an alternative for micro/nanoplastic translocation study in leguminous plants

Researchers developed fluorescent carbon dot embedded polystyrene particles as a new tool for tracking how microplastics move through leguminous plants like mung beans. Using fluorescence microscopy, they observed that microplastics accumulated in the vascular regions and cell walls of the plants at concentrations above a certain threshold. The method offers a practical way to study how microplastics are taken up and distributed within edible crops grown in contaminated soil.

2024 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Fluorescent Polypropylene Nanoplastics for Studying Uptake, Biodistribution, and Excretion in Zebrafish Embryos

Researchers developed a method to produce fluorescent polypropylene nanoplastics and tracked their movement in zebrafish embryos. The study found that the nanoplastics were ingested, distributed in the intestine, and eventually excreted, providing a new tool for assessing the biological risks of environmentally relevant plastic particles at the nanoscale.

2022 ACS Omega 46 citations
Article Tier 2

Fabrication and characterization of (fluorescent) model nanoplastics for polymer specific detection

This study developed and characterized fluorescent model nanoplastics that can be tracked and identified by polymer type, providing standardized reference particles for laboratory research. Reliable model nanoplastics are critical tools for toxicology experiments — without them, it is difficult to compare results across studies or understand which plastic types pose the greatest biological risk.

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

Sub-lethal effects of nanoplastics upon chronic exposure to daphnia magna

Researchers conducted 21-day chronic exposures of Daphnia magna to 20 nm and 200 nm carboxylated polystyrene nanoplastics at 50 mg/L and 0.1 mg/L, finding sub-lethal effects on growth, molting, and reproduction at all tested concentrations and both size classes, with results supporting particle number as a relevant dose metric.

2022 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Fluorescent nanoplastics: What steps are needed towards a representative toolkit?

This review critically examines strategies for creating and using fluorescent nanoplastics in research, noting that commonly used commercial polystyrene beads are not representative of environmental nanoplastics. The study recommends alternative approaches for producing more realistic fluorescent model particles and provides a roadmap to help researchers select appropriate methods for their specific applications.

2025 Microplastics and Nanoplastics 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene nanoplastics demonstrate high structural stability in vivo: A comparative study with silica nanoparticles via SERS tag labeling

Researchers developed a SERS tag labeling technique to track polystyrene nanoplastics in vivo, finding that nanoplastics demonstrate remarkably high structural stability in organisms compared to silica nanoparticles, which degraded more readily.

2022 Chemosphere 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Use of fluorescent-labelled nanoplastics (NPs) to demonstrate NP absorption is inconclusive without adequate controls

Researchers demonstrated that fluorescent dyes used to label polystyrene nanoplastics can leach from particles and independently accumulate in zebrafish tissues, warning that many prior studies claiming nanoplastic absorption into internal organs may have been detecting dye rather than particles — and calling for stricter controls in nanoplastic uptake research.

2019 The Science of The Total Environment 171 citations
Article Tier 2

Imaging and quantifying the biological uptake and distribution of nanoplastics using a dual-functional model material

This study used advanced imaging techniques to visualize and quantify nanoplastic uptake and distribution in biological systems, tracking particle translocation from exposure routes into tissues and characterizing intracellular localization.

2024 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Bioaccumulation of various nanoplastic particles in larval zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Researchers exposed larval zebrafish (Danio rerio) to 40-60 nm and 100 nm polystyrene nanoplastic particles using standard fish embryo toxicity and general behavioral toxicity assays from 6-120 hours post-fertilization, combining toxicity endpoints with fluorescence microscopy to confirm particle uptake and excretion. The study demonstrated nanoplastic accumulation within zebrafish larvae at tested concentrations, providing mechanistic insights into aquatic organism exposure dynamics for nanoplastics.

2022 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene Nanoplastic Behavior and Toxicity on Crustacean Daphnia magna: Media Composition, Size, and Surface Charge Effects

Researchers examined how size and surface charge of polystyrene nanoplastics (20-100 nm) affected their behavior and toxicity to Daphnia magna in different water media, finding that smaller particles and certain media compositions significantly increased toxicity and aggregation patterns.

2021 Environments 34 citations
Article Tier 2

New Fluorophore and Its Applications in Visualizing Polystyrene Nanoplastics in Bean Sprouts and HeLa Cells

A new fluorophore was synthesized and applied to visualize polystyrene nanoplastic uptake in bean sprouts and HeLa cells, demonstrating that the fluorescent probe can track nanoplastic distribution and internalization in both plant and human cell models.

2023 Molecules 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Investigating the toxicities of different functionalized polystyrene nanoplastics on Daphnia magna

Researchers compared the toxicity of plain and surface-modified polystyrene nanoplastics on Daphnia water fleas, finding that unmodified particles were most lethal by activating stress kinase pathways, while surface-functionalized particles were less toxic — largely because positively charged particles aggregated rapidly in water and reduced their effective exposure concentration.

2019 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 154 citations
Article Tier 2

Molecular, biochemical and behavioral responses of Daphnia magna under long-term exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics

Researchers studied the long-term effects of polystyrene nanoplastics on the water flea Daphnia magna over a 21-day exposure period at environmentally relevant concentrations. The study found molecular, biochemical, and behavioral changes even at low concentrations, suggesting that chronic exposure to nanoplastics may have significant impacts on aquatic organisms that short-term studies might miss.

2022 Environment International 77 citations