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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Charge-selective polystyrene nanoplastic retention by plant cell walls: Pectin domains dictate differential accumulation in rice seedling roots and shoots
ClearDifferentially charged nanoplastics demonstrate distinct accumulation in Arabidopsis thaliana
Researchers exposed Arabidopsis thaliana plants to positively and negatively charged polystyrene nanoplastics and found that charge determined accumulation patterns, with positively charged particles penetrating deeper into root and leaf tissues than negatively charged ones.
Effects of polystyrene nanoplastics with different functional groups on rice (Oryza sativa L.) seedlings: Combined transcriptome, enzymology, and physiology
Researchers exposed rice seedlings to polystyrene nanoplastics with different surface chemistries and found that all types reduced plant growth and photosynthetic ability. The amino-modified (positively charged) nanoplastics caused the most severe damage, reducing shoot growth by over 40% and dry weight by more than 70%. The study revealed that different surface modifications trigger distinct biological responses in the plant, affecting everything from ion transport to protein synthesis.
From stress to defense: Spatial confinement of nanoplastics in rice root cell walls via pectin matrix remodeling
Researchers showed that rice roots defend against nanoplastic intrusion by rapidly increasing pectin content in cell walls by 65%, which traps nearly half the nanoplastics within root tissue and stiffens cell walls to suppress upward transport to edible shoots.
Organosilicon and inorganic silica inhibit polystyrene nanoparticles uptake in rice
Researchers found that both organosilicon and inorganic silica can protect rice cells from polystyrene nanoplastic toxicity by generating negative surface charges and reducing cell wall porosity, thereby blocking nanoparticle uptake.
Uptake and transport of micro/nanoplastics in terrestrial plants: Detection, mechanisms, and influencing factors
This review summarizes how micro and nanoplastics enter and move through plants, including uptake through roots and leaves via processes like endocytosis and movement through cell walls. Smaller particles penetrate more easily, and factors like surface charge and soil conditions affect how much plastic plants absorb. The findings are important because they show that crops can take up microplastics from contaminated soil, creating a potential pathway for these particles to reach the human diet.
Disruption of auxin homeostasis by negatively charged nanoplastics inhibits plant primary root development
Experiments with plant seedlings showed that negatively charged polystyrene nanoplastics strongly inhibit root development by disrupting the plant hormone auxin, which controls root cell growth and organization — while positively charged nanoplastics had much weaker effects. Transcriptomic analysis and molecular docking identified specific molecular targets disrupted by the negatively charged particles. This matters because nanoplastics in soil carry varied surface charges depending on their aging and environment, and charge-specific toxicity helps explain why plant responses to nanoplastic exposure can be inconsistent across studies.
Do differentially charged nanoplastics affect imidacloprid uptake, translocation, and metabolism in Chinese flowering cabbage?
Researchers found that positively charged nanoplastics inhibited plant growth and reduced imidacloprid translocation in Chinese flowering cabbage, while negatively charged nanoplastics accelerated pesticide accumulation in shoots, revealing charge-dependent interactions affecting food safety.
Polystyrene microplastic interaction with Oryza sativa: toxicity and metabolic mechanism
Researchers confirmed for the first time that polystyrene nanoplastics can enter rice plant root cells through a process called endocytosis. This finding provides important new understanding of how microplastic contamination in soil may affect crop plants and potentially enter the food supply.
Polystyrene nanoplastics induce cell type-dependent secondary wall reinforcement in rice (Oryza sativa) roots and reduce root hydraulic conductivity
Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics penetrating rice roots trigger a cell-type-specific defense response in which the plant reinforces its secondary cell walls with lignin and suberin in key barrier tissues, increasing wall thickness by up to 22% while simultaneously reducing the root's ability to absorb water by nearly 15%.
Foliar uptake and leaf-to-root translocation of nanoplastics with different coating charge in maize plants
Researchers showed that nanoplastics can enter maize plants not just through roots but also through leaves, and then travel down to the roots through the plant's internal transport system. Positively charged nanoplastics stuck to leaf surfaces more readily but also caused more damage to photosynthesis and triggered stronger stress responses in the plants. This finding is important because it reveals an additional pathway for nanoplastic contamination of food crops through airborne particles landing on leaves.
Response of rice (Oryza sativa L.) roots to nanoplastic treatment at seedling stage
Researchers exposed rice seedlings to polystyrene nanoplastics and found that the particles were taken up by the roots, aided by water-transporting proteins in the plant. The nanoplastics triggered oxidative stress, reduced root length, and disrupted carbon metabolism and hormone production in the seedlings. The study raises concerns that nanoplastic contamination in agricultural soils could affect crop growth and potentially enter the human food supply through rice consumption.
Impacts of foliar-applied polystyrene nanoplastics with different surface charges on tetracycline accumulation, phytotoxicity, and the endophytic microbiota in Chrysanthemum coronarium L.
Researchers applied polystyrene nanoplastics of different surface charges to chrysanthemum leaves and found that positively charged particles most strongly reduced antibiotic (tetracycline) uptake, suppressed iron absorption and chlorophyll production, and increased oxidative damage — while also reshaping the plant's internal microbiome — demonstrating that atmospheric nanoplastic deposition can alter both contaminant bioavailability and plant health.
Uptake and translocation of nano/microplastics by rice seedlings: Evidence from a hydroponic experiment
In a hydroponic experiment, researchers showed that both nano-sized (80 nm) and micro-sized (1 micrometer) polystyrene particles were absorbed by rice plant roots and transported up into stems and leaves. The particles traveled through the plant's vascular system and accumulated in cell walls and between cells. This finding is concerning because it demonstrates that microplastics in soil and water can enter food crops like rice and potentially reach people through their diet.
Accumulation modes and effects of differentially charged polystyrene nano/microplastics in water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica F.)
Researchers investigated how water spinach plants absorb nano and microplastics of different sizes and electrical charges. They found that smaller, positively charged particles were absorbed more readily by roots and could travel to the leaves, while larger particles tended to stay on root surfaces. This matters because leafy vegetables like water spinach could be delivering nanoplastics directly to people who eat them.
Effects of polystyrene nanoplastics on lead toxicity in dandelion seedlings
Researchers investigated how different types of functionalized polystyrene nanoplastics affect lead toxicity in dandelion seedlings. The results showed that the surface chemistry of nanoplastics matters: carboxy-modified particles with negative surface charges enhanced lead toxicity, while amino-modified particles with positive charges reduced it, highlighting the complex interactions between nanoplastics and heavy metal contaminants in plants.
Toxicity Mechanisms of Nanoplastics on Crop Growth, Interference of Phyllosphere Microbes, and Evidence for Foliar Penetration and Translocation
Researchers exposed tomato plants to nanoplastics with different surface charges and found that positively charged particles caused the most damage, including stunted growth, increased stress responses, and disruption of the leaf microbiome. The nanoplastics penetrated through leaves and traveled to the roots, demonstrating that atmospheric plastic pollution can contaminate crops from above. This is a concern for food safety, as nanoplastics accumulating in edible plants could be a route of human exposure.
Uptake and Accumulation of Nano/Microplastics in Plants: A Critical Review
This review summarizes the latest research on how microplastics and nanoplastics are taken up by food crops through roots and leaves. Nanoplastics can penetrate plant cell walls more easily than larger microplastics, and the water-pulling force of transpiration is the main driver moving particles up through the plant. These findings are important for food safety because they confirm that plastic particles in contaminated soil can end up inside the fruits and vegetables people eat.
Transport of Nanoparticles into Plants and Their Detection Methods
This review examines how nanoparticles enter plants through roots, leaves, and stems, and the methods scientists use to track them inside plant tissues. While focused broadly on nanoparticles used in agriculture and biotechnology, the findings are directly relevant to understanding how nanoplastics in soil and water can be taken up by food crops. The research highlights that particle size, charge, and coating all affect how readily nanoparticles penetrate plant barriers and accumulate in edible parts.
Bibliometric analysis and systematic review of the adherence, uptake, translocation, and reduction of micro/nanoplastics in terrestrial plants
This bibliometric analysis and systematic review synthesized research on how micro- and nanoplastics adhere to, are absorbed by, and translocate through terrestrial plants, with potential accumulation in edible tissues. The study found that particle size, surface charge, and plant species all influence uptake, and that current research lacks standardized methods, making it difficult to fully assess the risk of microplastics entering the human food chain through crops.
Micro and nanoplastics pollution: Sources, distribution, uptake in plants, toxicological effects, and innovative remediation strategies for environmental sustainability
This review examines how microplastics and nanoplastics enter plants through roots, disrupt growth and photosynthesis, and cause oxidative stress that reduces crop yields. Because these plastic particles can move through plant tissues and into edible parts, they represent a potential pathway for microplastics to enter the human food supply.
Micro (nano) plastics uptake, toxicity and detoxification in plants: Challenges and prospects
This review examines how micro and nanoplastics are taken up by plants, covering their toxic effects on growth and gene expression as well as potential detoxification strategies. Smaller nanoplastics can penetrate plant cell walls and accumulate in tissues, causing oxidative stress and genetic damage. The findings are important for human health because contaminated crops could transfer microplastics directly into the food supply.
Cellular Process of Polystyrene Nanoparticles Entry into Wheat Roots
Researchers investigated how polystyrene nanoparticles enter wheat root cells, finding that smaller particles (100 nm) were internalized more readily than larger ones, with surface charge influencing uptake pathways through both endocytosis and direct penetration of cell walls.
Mechanistic insights into the effects of micro- and nano-plastics on cherry radish physiology and organic compound distribution at the soil-root interface.
Researchers exposed cherry radish to polyethylene microplastics (2 µm) and nanoplastics (200 nm) at varying concentrations and measured effects on plant physiology and organic compound distribution at the soil-root interface. Smaller nanoplastic particles caused greater disruption to root exudate chemistry and plant metabolism than the larger microplastics, pointing to a size-dependent toxicity mechanism.
Size-dependent effects of polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics on the quality of rice grains and the metabolism mechanism
Researchers found that tiny polystyrene plastic particles (under 100 nanometers) were absorbed by rice roots and traveled up into the grain, reducing protein content by up to 29%. The smallest particles weakened the plant's natural defenses by disrupting sugar metabolism. This means microplastics in soil could be silently lowering the nutritional quality of rice that people eat.