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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Synergistic Effects of Microplastics and Marine Pollutants on the Destabilization of Lipid Bilayers
ClearSynergistic 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.
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.
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.
Dynamics behavior of PE and PET oligomers in lipid bilayer simulations
Researchers used computer simulations to study how tiny plastic fragments from PET and polyethylene enter cell membranes, finding that small plastic molecules pass through with little resistance and can concentrate inside membranes — suggesting passive entry into cells is possible for nanoplastics just a few nanometers in size.
Understanding the transformations of nanoplastic onto phospholipid bilayers: Mechanism, microscopic interaction and cytotoxicity assessment
Researchers used molecular dynamics simulations to model how five types of nanoplastics (PVC, PS, PLA, PP, PET) interact with cell membrane lipid bilayers, finding that van der Waals forces dominate uptake and that nanoplastic accumulation reduces membrane thickness in a way that correlates with cytotoxicity.
A review on the combined toxicological effects of microplastics and their attached pollutants
Researchers reviewed how microplastics act as carriers for other environmental pollutants — including heavy metals and persistent organic chemicals — and how these combinations produce toxic effects in organisms that are more severe than either contaminant alone. The findings highlight a complex, layered toxicity problem that affects microbes, invertebrates, and vertebrates across marine and terrestrial environments.
Interactions of microplastics and organic compounds in aquatic environments: A case study of augmented joint toxicity
Researchers investigated how polystyrene microplastics interact with the antimicrobial compound triclosan in simulated environmental and cellular conditions. They found that surface-functionalized microplastics adsorbed significantly more triclosan and released it under cellular conditions, with the combination producing greater toxicity to human intestinal cells than either contaminant alone. The study suggests that microplastics can amplify the harmful effects of co-occurring organic pollutants.
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.
Interaction of polyethylene nanoplastics with the plasma, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, lysosome and endosome membranes: A molecular dynamics study
Researchers used computer simulations to study how polyethylene nanoplastics interact with five types of cell membranes in the human body, finding that the plastic particles spontaneously insert themselves into the fatty inner layer of membranes and disrupt normal membrane flexibility. These atomic-level findings help explain how nanoplastics may cause cell damage from the inside.
Can Nanoplastics Alter Cell Membranes?
Researchers used molecular dynamics simulations to show that polyethylene nanoplastics dissolve into the hydrophobic core of lipid bilayers as disentangled polymer chains, inducing structural and dynamic changes that alter vital cell membrane functions and may result in cell death.
Polystyrene nanoplastics as PFAS carriers and their interactions with zwitterionic phospholipid membranes
Researchers used molecular simulations to investigate how polystyrene nanoplastics can carry PFAS chemicals and interact with cell membranes. The study found that nanoplastics act as transport vehicles for PFAS compounds, delivering them to membrane surfaces where they alter how the particles interact with cells. Negatively charged PFAS coatings on nanoplastics were particularly effective at penetrating cell membranes, suggesting that the combination of these two common pollutants may pose greater biological risks together than separately.
Lipidomic analysis of single and combined effects of polyethylene microplastics and polychlorinated biphenyls on human hepatoma cells
Researchers used lipidomic analysis to study the single and combined effects of polyethylene microplastics and polychlorinated biphenyls on human liver cancer cells. While microplastics alone did not cause significant cell death, the combined exposure with PCBs produced distinct changes in cellular lipid profiles that differed from individual exposures. The study suggests that microplastics may alter how cells respond to co-occurring chemical pollutants through a "Trojan Horse" transport mechanism.
Pollution caused by nanoplastics: adverse effects and mechanisms of interaction via molecular simulation
This review used molecular simulation techniques to examine how nanoplastics interact with biological membranes and proteins, finding that NPs alter lipid membrane organization and protein secondary structure, potentially disrupting digestion and nutrient absorption in the gastrointestinal system. The review synthesized evidence that NPs can also adsorb environmental contaminants and potentiate their toxicity through synergistic mechanisms.
Effects of Nanoplastics on Lipid Membranes and Vice Versa: Insights from All-Atom Molecular Dynamics Simulations
Researchers used molecular dynamics simulations to study how polyethylene nanoplastics interact with cell membrane models. They found that the mechanical properties of the lipid membrane, rather than the nanoplastic structure, primarily determine whether particles can penetrate cells. The study suggests that more flexible biological membranes may be more susceptible to nanoplastic penetration, providing insight into how these particles could enter living cells.
Combined toxicity of micro/nanoplastics loaded with environmental pollutants to organisms and cells: Role, effects, and mechanism
This review of 162 articles found that micro/nanoplastics act as vectors transporting heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants, drugs, bacteria, and viruses into organisms, with combined exposure often increasing toxicity beyond individual pollutant effects. Nanoplastics' 'Trojan horse' effect specifically increased the bioaccessibility of environmental pollutants, elevating carcinogenic risk to humans.
The effects of adsorbed benzo(a)pyrene on dynamic behavior of polystyrene nanoplastics through phospholipid membrane: A molecular simulation study
Researchers used molecular simulations to show that benzo(a)pyrene adsorbed onto polystyrene nanoplastics alters how the particles interact with and penetrate phospholipid membranes, suggesting that pollutant-coated nanoplastics may pose different biological risks than pristine ones.
Distinguishing the nanoplastic–cell membrane interface by polymer type and aging properties: translocation, transformation and perturbation
Molecular simulations revealed that nanoplastic behavior at cell membranes differs significantly by polymer type and aging state, with distinct patterns of membrane translocation, transformation, and disruption. Aged nanoplastics showed altered interaction dynamics compared to pristine particles, suggesting weathering changes ecotoxicological risk.
Microplastics and human health: unraveling the toxicological pathways and implications for public health
This review pulls together recent research on how microplastics enter the human body and cause cellular damage through inflammation, oxidative stress, and direct cell injury. The authors highlight that microplastics can also amplify the harmful effects of other environmental pollutants they carry, creating combined health risks that are greater than either threat alone.
Toxic effects on ciliates under nano-/micro-plastics coexist with silver nanoparticles
Researchers tested the combined effects of different-sized plastic particles with silver nanoparticles on marine microorganisms and found that the mixture was more toxic than either pollutant alone. Smaller nanoplastics combined with silver nanoparticles caused the most severe damage, disrupting energy and fat metabolism and causing DNA and protein damage. This study shows how microplastics can amplify the toxicity of other environmental pollutants in marine food chains.
Toxicity assessment of pollutants sorbed on microplastics using various bioassays on two fish cell lines
Researchers collected microplastic samples from ocean expeditions and tested their toxicity using two fish cell lines, finding that cell lines differed in sensitivity and that microplastics with sorbed pollutants were toxic to cells. The results suggest that real-world microplastics carrying accumulated chemical pollutants pose a chemical toxicity risk to marine organisms beyond just the physical effects of ingesting plastic.
Microplastics and associated emerging contaminants in the environment: Analysis, sorption mechanisms and effects of co-exposure
Researchers reviewed how microplastics act as carriers for other environmental pollutants — including antibiotics, PFAS, and triclosan — absorbing them from surrounding water and potentially delivering higher doses to organisms that ingest the plastic, with combined toxicity effects that can be either amplified or reduced depending on the combination.
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.
A coupled model for the linked dynamics of marine pollution by microplastics and plastic-related organic pollutants
This study developed a mathematical model linking the spread of microplastics in the ocean with the organic pollutants they carry, simulating how microplastics act as transport vehicles for harmful chemicals. The model helps assess the combined ecological risk of plastic pollution and the contaminants it concentrates.